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w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4 31 researching the published names of com- mittee members, visible minorities are almost impossible to find outside of the northern jurisdictions. One of the much-touted duties of the appointment committees is to con- sult broadly "both inside and outside the legal community." In speaking with Arleen Huggins, president of the Canadian Asso- ciation of Black Lawyers, she says her orga- nization has never been consulted by the current government regarding any judicial appointments. Similarly, to her knowledge neither have any of the 16 legal diversity groups that make up the Roundtable of Diversity Associations. A letter written recently to MacKay expressing CABL's concerns about diversity representation and transparency has, as of writing, gone unanswered by him. The only public guideline to choosing appointment committee members is that "the Minister of Justice attempts to reflect factors appropriate to each jurisdiction including geography, language, multicul- turalism, and gender." There is no explana- tion of how the minister attempts to do this, or why it has resulted in just 17.3 per cent of his appointments being women and an unknown, but decidedly much smaller, number of visible minority members. Don't ask, don't tell? More like: We don't ask and we don't want to know. T he debate over the pace of women appointments to the bench start- ed with Peter MacKay's untestable observation that not enough women were applying to be judges. With about half of the 1,124 sitting federal judges having been appointed since 2006, the number of women judges as of July 1, 2014 stands at 383 or 34.1 per cent. The gender of persons who are ulti- mately named judges are reported, but researchers struggle to discover the num- bers relating to other forms of diversity of sitting judges, which is not officially mea- sured or reported in any way. Cairns Way has again conducted her own research where the government refuses to tread. Her research indicates the appointment rate of aboriginal judges hovers around one per cent, while the appointment of members of visible minor- ity communities to the federal bench is closer to an abysmal 0.5 per cent. Her conclusion? "Clearly, ensuring that the judiciary reflects the community it serves is not a priority for this government." It is also hard to not reach the parallel conclusion that the federal government does not want to have its hands tied in any way when it comes to who it ulti- mately appoints. The evidence, as a trial lawyer would point out, is set out every step along the way. Exhibit A: The minister of justice con- trols the majority of the appointments to the 17 regional judicial appointments com- mittees. This was one of the earliest acts of the new Conservative government. There are no serious or measurable qual- ifications for the minister's nominees. Exhibit B: Women and visible minori- ties are conspicuously under-represent- ed in the minister's nominees to the With more than 1,400 pages of essential legal references, Ontario Lawyer's Phone Book is your best connection to legal services in Ontario. Subscribers can depend on the credibility, accuracy and currency of this directory year after year. More detail and a wider scope of legal contact information for Ontario than any other source: ȕ 0WFS27,000 lawyers listed ȕ 0WFS9,000 law firms and corporate offices listed ȕ 'BYBOEUFMFQIPOFOVNCFSTFNBJM BEESFTTFTPGȮDFMPDBUJPOTBOEQPTUBM DPEFT Includes lists of: ȕ Federal and provincial judges ȕ Federal courts, including a section for federal government departments, boards and commissions ȕ Ontario courts and services, including a section for provincial government ministries, boards and commissions ȕ Small claims courts ȕ Miscellaneous services for lawyers Visit carswell.com or call 1.800.387.5164 for a 30-day no-risk evaluation 1FSGFDUCPVOEȕ1VCMJTIFE December each year On subscription $74 One time purchase $77 L88804-626 Multiple copy discounts available Prices subject to change without notice, to applicable taxes and shipping & handling. 2014 ONTARIO LAWYER'S PHONE BOOK THE MOST COMPLETE DIRECTORY OF ONTARIO LAWYERS, LAW FIRMS, JUDGES AND COURTS ntitled-3 1 14-01-10 12:21 PM

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