Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question and for reminding us about the shameful record of judicial appointments of the last government. The thought that Mr. Justice Nadon could be declared ineligible by our highest court, the fact that Mr. Harper would go on to publicly assail the integrity of Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, turning an institutional dispute into a personal battle, another first in Canada, is a shocking legacy.
To the question of how we can fix it, we should make sure that all perspectives are brought to bear. We should privilege regional representation as one for which we have a proud history, but we should not use that as a straitjacket. We should ensure that other values are brought to the table.
I think we all agree that talented jurists in Atlantic Canada will rise, shall rise, and have always risen to the occasion, but we should be broader in our perspective. Have we ever had a judge from the north? Have we ever had a visible minority? Why is it that Prince Edward Island has not had a justice on the Supreme Court since 1924? Why is it that Newfoundland and Labrador has been shut out since it joined the Canadian family?
We need to do better. We can do better, and I am confident that we will.