Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My question is more for Mr. Power or Mr. Roy. I don't know whether Mr. Boivin will be able to answer as well.
I received a letter yesterday from the president of the Bas-Saint-Laurent-Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine bar association, Clément Massé. He shared two of his observations in his letter. First, he talks about the appointment of judges, which he thinks moves much too slowly. His second observation concerns the new federal government-designed form to put forward a Supreme Court nominee. This form represents the new way of doing things for the current federal government.
We are talking here about access to justice in both English and French across Canada. However, in Quebec, lawyers working in rural or regional settings are much less likely to be involved in litigating or defending cases before appellate courts, superior courts or federal courts of first instance, such as the Federal Court or the Tax Court of Canada. The form in question clearly indicates that nominees must have relevant experience before these bodies to eventually be appointed judges in superior courts. In fact, Mr. Massé considers that this is potentially discriminatory.
What is your opinion on this? Have you had an opportunity to consult the form?