Mr. Speaker, with regard to judicial vacancies in the province of Alberta as of June 1, 2023, the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada updates the data pertaining to judicial vacancies shortly after the beginning of each month. It can be found at the following link: https://www.fja.gc.ca/appointments-nominations/judges-juges-eng.aspx.
Any information regarding judicial vacancies in Alberta’s provincial courts should be sought from the Alberta Ministry of Justice.
The current vacancy number presents an incomplete picture. Despite the significant number of appointments made this year, there has been a high number of judges retiring or electing to become supernumerary. This means they have opted to work part-time, which despite their continuing to hear cases is noted as a vacancy that needs to be filled. Vacancies have also been created by elevating trial judges to an appellate court.
I will continue to make high-quality, diverse appointments, and the number of vacancies will decline. A total of 18 appointments have been made across the country since July 26, 2023. The government has also added 116 new judicial positions since 2015.
The new judicial appointment process, announced in October 2016, is showing real results for Canadians and is fostering a judiciary that reflects the rich diversity of Canadian society. For the first time, we are tracking how many new judges identify as indigenous, visible minorities, people with disabilities, members of ethnocultural groups and 2SLGBTQI+.
We have also heard from diverse bar associations and others within the legal community to reach new networks of potential candidates and encourage them to put their names forward for consideration.
Under the new process since 2016, more than half, nearly 54%, or 308 out of 569, of judges appointed or elevated by our government are women, 4% are indigenous,14% are visible minorities, 6% identify as 2SLGBTQI+ and 33% are functionally bilingual, meaning they are able to fulfil four core competencies in both official languages.
By contrast, from 2007-2015, 32%, or less than one-third of new judges appointed by the previous government were women.
Our government has appointed more than 645 judges since November 2015. These exceptional jurists represent the diversity that strengthens Canada.
We look forward to continuing to work together with the legal community to achieve a judiciary that truly looks like Canada.