Mr. Chair, I recently drafted a report for the Department of Justice in order to find out how many judges in Canada were able to understand a conversation in their second language and to hear a case in the other official language. I was favourably impressed by the numbers in this report to the Department of Justice. I have said two things in the past and I will say them again. I think that comprehension of the other official language is an essential part of the skills required to hear cases before the Supreme Court of Canada. I also think that the right of judges to work in their own language is diminished by the presence of unilingual judges. If one respects the right to work in one's own language, then francophone judges have to be able to use their language when conferring and to be understood.
On November 4th, 2010. See this statement in context.