Search Process For Two New Supreme Court of Canada Justices Begins

Let the speculation begin.

According to an article in The Hill Times, the process to choose the replacements for Supreme Court of Canada Justices Louise Charron and Justice Ian Binnie starts today.

Earlier this year, Charron and Binnie, both from Ontario, announced they were resigning from the Supreme Court.

As The Hill Times article explains:

"MPs and human rights lawyers say they expect Prime Minister Stephen Harper will attempt to swing the pendulum of Supreme Court of Canada rulings toward the prevailing views of Conservative Party supporters as he fills the court’s two vacancies in a secretive and high-stakes process that begins its final stages this week."

"An ad hoc panel of MPs from all three main parties in the Commons will meet Thursday on Parliament Hill behind closed doors to review a list of potential nominees that Justice Minister Rob Nicholson (Niagara Falls, Ont.) will present them for an advisory opinion on their candidacy."

"The MPs will be sworn to secrecy about anything that transpires in the hearing, including the names of the candidates, as they reduce the pool of candidates to an unranked list of six from which Mr. Harper (Calgary Southwest, Alta.), in collaboration with Mr. Nicholson, will eventually choose the final nominees to fill the court’s two vacancies for Ontario."