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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 316

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 23, 2024 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Mr. James Maloney
  • May/23/24 7:30:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on that point, the Liberal government, shortly after it was elected, increased the judicial complement in this country, including here in Ontario. Perhaps the minister could take a moment to share with us the number of judicial appointments he has made since he was appointed as minister.
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:31:25 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we have increased the number of judges in this country over the last nine years by 116 in total. The number of judges that I have been able to appoint in nine short months in this office is 106. The average of the Harper government, annually, was 65. We are literally working at twice the rate of the previous Conservative government.
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Mr. James Maloney
  • May/23/24 7:31:42 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I will get back to this later, but perhaps the minister could briefly touch upon, and reinforce, the changes that were made by the government to the appointment process that have enhanced the quality of the bench.
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:32:01 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the changes that have been made reflect a comprehensive questionnaire that looks at the lived experience of the individuals. We have put an emphasis on women, bilingualism and diversity. That has resulted in a level of appointments where 54% are women, and there have been 730 appointments so far. The previous government's track record was 30%.
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Ms. Kristina Michaud (Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, BQ)
  • May/23/24 7:32:24 p.m.
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Madam Chair, this is my first Committee of the Whole. I am very pleased to be here this evening. I am going to be using a question and answer format, if that is okay. I will ask a question and then let the minister answer it. I am going to jump right into my questions, starting with the topic of appointing judges. Obviously, the timely appointment of judges is essential to a fair and equitable justice system. As we know, there are a number of judicial vacancies. Justice Wagner sent a letter to the Prime Minister, asking him to fill the vacancies. As of today, there are still 57 vacancies to be filled. Can the minister tell us whether these posts will be filled by the end of the year?
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Hon. Arif Virani (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.)
  • May/23/24 7:33:09 p.m.
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Madam Chair, what I can say is that I will do my best to fill any vacancies across the country. I want to point out that the number of vacancies in Quebec has diminished significantly since I took office. I am working very closely with the chief justices of the Quebec Court of Appeal, the Quebec Superior Court and the Attorney General of Quebec. As I just mentioned, I have already made 106 judicial appointments in my first nine months in office. That is a record-breaking number in modern Canadian history.
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Ms. Kristina Michaud
  • May/23/24 7:33:51 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I thank the minister for his efforts. Can he tell us how many positions still need to be filled in Quebec and when they will be filled?
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:34:00 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I will try to find the exact figures for Quebec, but I am sure that there are not many vacancies in Quebec at this time.
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Ms. Kristina Michaud
  • May/23/24 7:34:12 p.m.
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Madam Chair, how does the minister explain the significant delays in appointing judges? I understand that he has appointed several judges this year, but it is still taking too long. How does he explain that?
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:34:26 p.m.
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Madam Chair, when I was appointed, I was shocked to learn that the delays were caused by the need for security screening. Of course that is necessary, but with the changes I have put in place, we have created a triage system where judges are considered before other public servants.
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Ms. Kristina Michaud
  • May/23/24 7:34:47 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, is that how we can improve the way judges are appointed in a timely manner? Is that the strategy he is proposing or is he working on a plan to improve the process?
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:35:02 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the process has improved because the candidate assessments are now valid for three months instead of two and the mandates of the judicial advisory committee members are now three years instead of two years. To answer the previous question, the Court of Appeal needs two judges and the Quebec Superior Court needs six.
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Ms. Kristina Michaud
  • May/23/24 7:35:26 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I thank the minister for those details. I would now like him to talk about the Jordan decision, which has returned with a vengeance in Quebec in recent years. Recent decisions have brought to light the serious problems in our justice system in terms of delays. Last weekend at the Festival international du journalisme de Carleton-sur-Mer, which took place in my riding, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court said that we are looking at the problem from the wrong side. Yes, the Jordan decision imposes timelines, but that benefits victims. When we think about the timelines, we rarely think about the victims. Because of the Jordan decision, they do not have to wait for years before they can testify. He also added that we should not seek to change the Jordan decision to extend the deadlines, but instead we should improve our justice system so that it is able to meet those deadlines. That requires massive investments in justice and the quick appointment of judges. Does the minister agree with the Chief Justice? I would also like to know what he is doing to improve delays in the justice system.
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:36:30 p.m.
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Madam Chair, on a number of occasions, I have done my best to reduce the court backlogs. Obviously, that involves appointing judges. I am doing my best to fill those positions. In addition, I am currently working with Chief Justice Wagner on a committee on modernizing court operations. The committee is working on ways to improve processes in courts across Canada. For example, in the digital age, we are trying to find ways to speed up justice using artificial intelligence for complainants or people appearing before our courts, whether in a criminal or civil trial.
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Ms. Kristina Michaud
  • May/23/24 7:37:20 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would now like to hear what the minister has to say about the sensitive issue of medical assistance in dying. Yesterday, the Bloc Québécois introduced a bill to allow people suffering from an incapacitating disease, such as Alzheimer's or dementia, to make an advance request for medical assistance in dying while they are still capable of doing so. The bill is supported by Sandra Demontigny, the Collège des médecins, the Barreau du Québec, the Chambre des notaires du Québec and the Quebec and Canadian associations for the right to die with dignity. Will the minister commit to taking a compassionate approach consistent with the steps taken by the Government of Quebec to meet the needs of people suffering from serious and incurable neurocognitive diseases by supporting the principle of this bill to allow advance requests in Quebec?
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Hon. Arif Virani
Madam Chair, I believe that the member is referring to Bill C-390, tabled in the House just yesterday. We are currently in the process of analyzing and studying this bill. What I can point out is that I am already in contact with my Quebec government counterpart, Simon Jolin‑Barrette. We have already discussed this proposal. We are going to have further conversations about Quebec's priorities and objectives. I want to emphasize that, when it comes to medical assistance in dying, a balance must always be struck between individual autonomy and the protection, conditions and precautions required to safeguard the most vulnerable. I am always guided by the quest for balance in this matter.
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Ms. Kristina Michaud
Madam Chair, I would point out to the minister that he does not want to give Quebec an exemption from the Criminal Code, but he is giving one to British Columbia. In my view, this is something that is possible for the people in this situation in Quebec. Now, I would like to hear his comments on all the issues related to child pornography, children's access to pornography and the sharing of non-consensual content. To my eyes, the purpose of Bill S‑210, which was introduced by Senator Julie Miville‑Dechêne and which seeks to prevent minors from accessing pornography, is completely different from the purpose of Bill C‑63, which the minister introduced and which seeks to protect the public from harmful content streamed on social media, such as intimate content communicated without consent and content that sexually victimizes a child. Does he agree with me that these two bills have completely different purposes?
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Hon. Arif Virani
Madam Chair, that is a great question, but I believe that the senator's bill, Bill S‑210, addresses only one aspect of our broader bill, C‑63. Protecting children from pornography and sexual predators is a priority for both me and the senator. However, we have different ways of tackling the problem. We are dealing with a much bigger and broader problem in our own Bill C-63. We are also different when it comes to the mandates and the modus operandi that the senator proposes to use. We are concerned about how to verify someone's age. Does it have to be a piece of government-issued ID? Will this cause other problems or lead to the possibility of other crimes, such as financial fraud, at the international level?
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Ms. Kristina Michaud
Madam Chair, I think that the minister is well aware that those are two completely different missions. Both are commendable. Bill C‑63 has its good points, but Bill S‑210 really seeks to check the age of pornography users to limit young people's access to it. The Liberal Party seems to disagree with this bill, and yet other countries, like Germany, France and the United Kingdom, as well as some states in the U.S. are looking into this way of verifying the age of users. Why does Canada not want to move forward in this way to limit the access of children under the age of 18 to pornography?
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 7:41:45 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-63 
Madam Chair, with all due respect, I want to correct the member opposite. First, Bill C‑63 deals mainly with types of content that are appropriate for children. Second, it addresses the obligation to protect children. There is also a provision of Bill C‑63 that talks about age appropriate design features. We are targeting the same problem. We want to work with social media platforms to resolve this situation in a way that will enable us to protect people's privacy and personal information and protect children.
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