The Status Quo in Our Justice System is Justice Denied

February 7, 2007

Here’s a news item you may have missed this past week. The opposition parties are outraged that our Conservative Government wants law enforcement agencies to be one of the voices heard in the process to appoint federal judges.

Yet Conservative Justice Minister Rob Nicholson was insistent that law enforcement should be represented on Judicial Advisory Committees or JACs.

JACs are now eight-member panels responsible for assessing the qualifications of lawyers who apply for federal judicial appointments. We believe it was a glaring omission that JACs did not previously include a law enforcement representative. So, we added a seat at the table to let police officers pull up a chair.

These new additions deal every day with criminals and the victims of crime. Throughout their careers they’ve spent many hours in courtrooms, working closely with prosecutors, defence lawyers, victims and social agencies. They not only possess the knowledge, insight and experiences that enhance the work of JACs, their opinions should be considered when evaluating the qualities that make someone a good judge.

The law enforcement community is a very important aspect of our justice system that has been underrepresented in the consultation process to select federal judges. Police officers should be at the table along with the representatives from the general public, the judiciary, the Canadian Bar Association, the provincial and territorial Law Societies and provincial and territorial ministers of justice.

And yet, the opposition parties remain opposed to the change. Fortunately, we did not require legislation to make this improvement. Nor did we require opposition support when we made Canadian history by creating a parliamentary committee to review Supreme Court nominee Marshall Rothstein. This televised hearing served Canadians’ need to know more about the individuals appointed to serve on the highest court in the land.

The Liberals, the New Democrats and the Bloc Quebecois all spouted get-tough on crime platforms during the last election campaign. Yet they’ve quickly reverted back to protecting the rights of criminals over the rights of victims and the safety of Canadians.

Our Conservative Government currently has nine criminal justice bills before the House of Commons and the Senate. This includes legislation to: end “House Arrest” or conditional sentencing for murderers and violent criminals; impose stricter conditions on dangerous offenders; increase mandatory minimum penalties for gun crimes, and increase the age of consent to better protect children from sexual predators. The opposition parties are attempting to stall and thwart these justice reforms at every opportunity.

This challenge prompts me to reflect back on my decision to enter politics and my 13 years as your Member of Parliament. Along with the need for fiscal responsibility so we can hand stewardship of our nation over to our children and grandchildren in good conscience, and the need to restore confidence in our democratic institutions, fixing our justice system remains one of my primary motivations.

I’m also constantly motivated by the constituents of Prince George-Peace River who convey to me each and every day their overwhelming and steadfast support for these justice reforms.