Mr. Speaker, it is certainly not the first time I have raised the issue in the House of giving serious consideration to the election of our judiciary.
I realize that appointment of our judiciary from our barrister societies and from our law profession across the country has been the tradition. However, I am calling on the government to give serious consideration to the fact that the responsibility the judiciary has is very important. Over the last two years that I have been in the House of Commons we have seen the effect judicial decisions have on what we enact in law and how we respond to the precedents they set.
Also, we understand that the role of the judiciary is not only to enforce the law as it comes before them, but to interpret the law. Those judges are in positions of trust and their decisions affect the daily lives of individuals. In my mind, I feel it is imperative that we move forward and take the necessary steps to ensure that our judiciary is elected by the public at large.
With respect to administrative tribunals and appointments to boards, I have some reservations with respect to board appointments and the selection process and also the functions of those boards. That is due to the fact that administrative tribunals do have a judicial function and a role to play in the country, and an appeal of the decisions administrative tribunals make is very difficult. Appeals can only be made in the event there is an error in law on the face of the record. Therefore, they are primarily predicated on ensuring that natural justice takes place at the board level. It goes without saying that the appointments to the boards are of crucial importance to our country.