Good afternoon.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Paradis, you were once the President of the Quebec Bar too. So was Mr. Fournier, who is now the Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Québec. So all three of us have the role of president in common.
Thank you for having me.
I have been President of the Quebec Bar since June 15, 2017. I was elected to head the Quebec Bar for a two-year term.
On April 4, 2017, you heard from my predecessor in this position, Madam President Claudia P. Prémont. Little has changed since her testimony. However, as a result of the invitation you sent me, I felt it important to briefly restate a number of the Quebec Bar's positions, and to add a comment about the future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.
In terms of the bilingual nature of the Supreme Court of Canada and of the federally appointed judiciary, the Quebec Bar restates the right to be heard by a judge in either of the country's two official languages. This is a basic right that all Canadians must be able to enjoy without the need for an interpreter. It is a matter of the equal status of our official languages and of Canadians.
As for the appointment of a bilingual chief justice, in my opinion, there is a lot of talk about functional bilingualism. The best situation is for the chief justice to be able to read judgments in either of the official languages with no problem, understand both languages perfectly and be able to speak, or ask questions in either language.
In addition, since Canada is a country with a bijural tradition, the Quebec Bar believes that it would be appropriate for the next chief justice to be from the civil law tradition.
As for the obligation for legislation to be drafted and passed in both official languages, let me remind you of the Quebec Bar's position. Under section 133 of the Constitution Act, 1867, the National Assembly, just like the Parliament of Canada, must pass and publish its acts in both official languages. The federal Parliament could provide technical and financial assistance to Quebec in order to enable Quebec bills to be drafted and translated.
As for the translation of judgments rendered by Quebec courts, I share the opinion of Chief Justice Fournier in large part. A large number of judgments are rendered in Quebec in matters common to all provinces and all territories of Canada, such as family law, criminal law, constitutional law, and commercial law. Unfortunately, that wealth of legal wisdom is available only to those who understand French. Genuine access to justice requires all legal and judicial documentation to be available in both of Canada's s official languages.
So we are asking for Canada's Department of Justice to work with the various stakeholders in Quebec, including the ministère de la Justice du Québec, the courts, and SOQUIJ, to provide financial assistance to develop a strategy that will enable French-language jurisprudence from Quebec to be translated and made known across the entire country.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.