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s far as political firestorms go, Justice Minister Peter MacKay's June was slight-
ly hotter than most. It began innocently enough on June 13 with the announce-
ment the federal government had appointed 12 new judges to the bench. It was
undoubtedly expected to be a routine announcement to fill various vacancies
across the country; in law firms and wine bars across the country there would
be small gatherings of law firm partners to toast the elevation of their col-
leagues to the bench. Then something unusual happened. It was pointed out
not a single one of the new judicial appointments was a woman. The only
woman mentioned in the announcement was already a judge being
promoted to a higher court.
In some ways the timing could not have been worse. The Harper government
has been seen to be waging a trench war against the courts for years as it legislatively
tries to reshape Canada in its image only to find the greatest roadblock is a legal sys-
tem that takes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and constitutional law seriously.
Conservatives have made no secret they consider the courts to be actively
obstructionist, providing the Harper government with setbacks in a series of
key hot-button areas: Senate reform, immigration, health care, native claims,
prostitution, and a host of law-and-order initiatives like mandatory minimum
A
CrACKInG
THE
SYSTEM
how do we GeT more diversiTY
on The benCh when There's
no TrAnspArenCY in The
AppoinTmenTs proCess?
bY sTephen lAuTens
