Mr. Speaker, on three occasions the Minister of Justice has granted leaves of absence under section 54(1) of the Judges Act to Madam Justice Louise Arbour. While that section may give him the authority to grant leaves of absence, he certainly does not have the authority to allow her to assume other duties, because section 55 of the Judges Act states: "No judge shall, either directly or indirectly, engage in any other occupational business other than judicial duties".
On what basis did the Minister of Justice approve the leave of absence for Madam Justice Arbour to work as a prosecutor for the UN while she is still a judge? We have just heard the Minister of Foreign Affairs tell us that she is going to be an active and aggressive prosecutor. She is a member of the impartial bench in Canada. How can she be an impartial judge and a prosecutor at the same time?