MINISTER OF JUSTICE ANNOUNCES MEMBERS OF THE SUPREME COURT OF CANADA SELECTION PANEL

OTTAWA, August 5, 2011 – The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the members of the Selection Panel to fill the vacancies at the Supreme Court of Canada as a result of the retirements of the Honourable Mr. Justice Ian Binnie and the Honourable Madam Justice Louise Charron. The retirements of Justices Binnie and Charron create two vacancies from the Ontario Region.

"The Supreme Court of Canada is the pinnacle of our justice system, and our Government is committed to continuing the tradition of legal excellence and undisputable merit that Canadians deserve and expect from our country's highest court," said Minister Nicholson. "The Selection Panel plays an important role in ensuring transparency and balance in the appointment process."

The Selection Panel includes five Members of Parliament, including one from each recognized political party. The members of this Selection Panel are as follows:

  • Mr. Bob Dechert, Conservative Party of Canada
  • Ms. Candice Hoeppner, Conservative Party of Canada
  • Mr. Brent Rathgeber, Conservative Party of Canada
  • Mr. Joe Comartin, New Democratic Party of Canada
  • The Hon. Irwin Cotler, Liberal Party of Canada

The mandate of the Selection Panel is to review and assess a list of qualified candidates created by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada in consultation with the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of Canada, the Chief Justice of Ontario, the Attorney General of Ontario and other prominent legal organizations, including the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Canadian Bar Association. The Minister has also received public input with respect to candidates who merit consideration.

In order to guide the activities of the Selection Panel and help ensure a full, balanced and objective assessment of the candidates, the Minister of Justice has indicated that the remainder of the selection process should proceed as follows:

  • The members of the Selection Panel will meet to review the résumés provided by each candidate as well as a number of reported judgments and publications;
  • The members of the Selection Panel will also consult with the Chief Justice of Canada, the Chief Justice of Ontario, the Attorney General of Ontario, the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association and, at their discretion, other prominent legal organizations;
  • All deliberations by panel members and consultations with third parties will be confidential;
  • The Selection Panel will provide an unranked list of six qualified candidates to the Prime Minister of Canada and the Minister of Justice for their consideration;
  • The Prime Minister and Minister of Justice will select two nominees from that list;
  • The two nominees will appear at a public hearing of an ad hoc parliamentary committee, a process that was first established for the appointment of the Honourable Mr. Justice Marshall E. Rothstein in 2006.
Further information on the appointment process is available in the Statement from the Prime Minister issued on May 13, 2011. An on-line version is accessible at http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=3&featureId=6&pageId=49&id=4105.

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Ref.:

  • Pamela Stephens
    Press Secretary
    Office of the Minister of Justice
    613-992-4621

  • Media Relations
    Department of Justice
    613-957-4207