Justice committee  For greater clarity, I would say that TV programs or series about lawyers such as the series Suits very rarely represent the reality of the practice. I understand why you would choose an example from a program of that type, but the fact remains that we often have to fight against

Justice committee  Thank you very much.

Justice committee  That is probably what we are trying to avoid, in a sense. We are trying to avoid a situation where a diversity issue gives one or the other party an advantage or disadvantage. You must remember that jury members, whatever their origins, can certainly act in good faith. These are

Justice committee  Normally, judges are reserved on these matters. Lawyers use the peremptory challenge. This issue would not come up all the time, but, when needed, we could ask the judge to use his discretion.

Justice committee  That is a good question, Mr. Deltell. On this, and I will say it openly, you'll have to allow me to punt the ball. These are indeed questions that are difficult to answer. That is why we are asking that one of the parties be allowed to ask the judge to take that diversity into a

Justice committee  The short answer is yes. That is what we say in the brief. That being said, we propose a solution. It's all well and good to highlight what we feel needs to be changed, but we also have to propose a solution. That is what we explained earlier. At this time, there are several pil

Justice committee  That is a very good question. Since the matter of students, paralegals and representation concerns other provinces mostly, in particular Ontario, the Barreau du Québec chose not to comment on that. Perhaps Mr. Le Grand Alary would like to add something.

Justice committee  Paralegals do not have licences in Quebec; that does not exist.

Justice committee  That is a very good question, Mr. Deltell. In our brief, we suggested that this be left to the discretion of the presiding judge. He or she is in the best position to be knowledgeable about Canadian reality, certainly, but also the local reality. It is up to the presiding judge

Justice committee  It certainly is important. It is even a way of delivering justice in a territory or region. All these things are very important. Of course, if we were in 1950, we would perhaps not be having this discussion, but now the technology allows it. So, my answer to your question is a ge

Justice committee  It has been that way for a long time. It is also a constitutional matter. Many of these factors are common to the Barreau du Québec and to other law societies in Canada. It must be said that we acknowledge that our system of justice is complex and expensive. We are always trying

Justice committee  Clearly, that is one of the bastions of our democracy. I cannot stress the importance of that impartiality enough. Sometimes we take it for granted, but others cannot. That is why it is important to preserve the impartiality.

Justice committee  You ask a very good question. Clearly, we asked ourselves that question too: if only 3% of cases have preliminary inquiries, why not eliminate them? What we have to recognize is that preliminary inquiries have a positive side, in that they often encourage settlements. In additio

Justice committee  Thank you.

Justice committee  I will be presenting in French, for those who might need to use an earpiece. Mr. Chair, Vice-Chairs, distinguished members of the committee, my name is Paul-Matthieu Grondin and I am the Batônnier du Québec. As the Chair has said, I am accompanied by Pascal Lévesque, who is the