Ford among premiers seeking more say in federal judge appointments
· Toronto Sun
Premier Doug Ford has joined three other premiers in sending a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney calling for more decision-making power in federal judicial appointments in their provinces.
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Ford, along with Alberta’s Danielle Smith, Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe and Quebec’s Francois Legault signed a joint letter on Tuesday, which asks for appointments to courts of appeal and superior trial courts to be picked from a list of names recommended by the provinces. Currently, the provinces have the power to appoint judges in lower courts, but only the federal government can appoint judges in higher ones.
“As Premiers from across Canada, we write jointly to advance reform to the process of appointments to the superior trial courts and courts of appeal of the provinces, as well as to the Supreme Court of Canada,” the premiers wrote. “We are calling for a new, collaborative approach, wherein our governments can meaningfully engage in filling judicial positions in our respective jurisdictions.”
Ford says giving Ontario more say would be critical to issues such as public safety and bail reform.
“Ontario deserves a real say in the appointment of judges making critical decisions on issues like bail reform, which directly impacts public safety in our province,” the premier said on X .
Feds say no, but thanks for the thought
Justice Minister Sean Fraser said the selection process works as is and that the government is not thinking about making any changes to it. Although he added he welcomes provincial participation in some fashion.
“We welcome provincial governments’ participation in that process and proactively reach out after we receive recommendations through the judicial advisory committees to test with our provincial counterparts whether they’ve got information about the reputation of the people we’re considering. I found that to be very informative,” Fraser said.
The premiers also want the same access to information that the federal government has on all candidates, saying such a move would promote “open and cooperative federalism” and would encourage public confidence in the judicial system.
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Ontario Liberals say no
The Ontario Liberals argue Ford has no business making such a request, adding the premier wants to politicize the bench.
“Giving Doug Ford that kind of authority would be dangerous,” Ontario Liberal Critic for the Attorney General Lucille Collard said in a statement. “Judges must be appointed based on merit, independence and integrity — not political alignment. The Premier has already made clear he wants judges who think like him.”
Vacancies
Courts across Canada have been pleading for more judges, saying there aren’t enough of them to address the number of cases in the system. Canada currently has 42 vacancies, according to data from the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs. Ontario has 15 of them, the highest number of any province, with 12 vacancies at the Superior Court of Justice and three at Family Court.