Federal Government Announces Selection Process for Next Supreme Court of Canada Justice

Yesterday, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announced the selection process that will be used to to fill the recent vacancy at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Justice Michel Bastarache is stepping down. His replacement must by tradition come from one of Canada's 4 Atlantic povinces.

For the selection process, the government has said it will follow this procedure:

• the federal government will consult with the Attorneys General of the four Atlantic provinces as well as the legal community
• a list of qualified candidates will be reviewed by a selection panel composed of five Members of Parliament, of which 3 will be Opposition members. The panel will forward a short list of 3 candidates to the Prime Minister
• the nominee will appear at a public hearing in front of an ad hoc parliamentary committee for questioning
• if all goes well, that nominee gets the job