Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would like to thank the witnesses for being here.
I'm a lawyer, and I live in a minority community, in Sudbury, Northern Ontario. I studied at the University of Ottawa in French. So this is of particular interest to me.
In your comments, you said that the nomination form for judges had changed. I found that the questions were clearer. I think the minister will be able to make a much more informed decision than before in determining whether they have the necessary qualifications.
Aside from that, there are challenges to overcome. On page 5 of your presentation, it says: “... there is no coordinated action to determine the needs of superior courts in terms of bilingual capacity or to ensure that a sufficient number of bilingual judges are appointed to these courts.”
Could you tell us who decides which regions need bilingual judges? Take Ontario, for example. Isn't it the Minister of Justice who says that this region needs bilingual judges. I would like to know who decides. Is it the chief justice of the court, a local group or the Department of Justice that decides which areas should have a bilingual judge?