QUESTION PERIOD — Justice
Judicial Selection Process
April 4, 2019
Thank you, Your Honour.
My question is for the government leader. It concerns a very serious matter, the leak of information surrounding the most recent Supreme Court appointment process.
As we know, Chief Justice Joyal of the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench felt compelled to publicly respond to this leak and, in doing so, to disclose highly personal information about his family.
Those who have rightly condemned this leak include the Canadian Bar Association and two former Supreme Court justices, Louis LeBel and John Major. The Manitoba Bar Association called this incident appalling and also stated:
It demeans the entire selection process, and is harmful to the privacy of individual applicants.
Last week, Minister Lametti tweeted his concern about this matter.
Senator Harder, if the minister is truly concerned about this leak, then why won’t he investigate it?
I thank the honourable senator for the question. Amongst those who raised concerns, I would cite yesterday’s statement in this chamber by Senator Joyal. I would cite the widespread and all-party applause for Senator Joyal’s statement, which, I think, reflects everybody’s view in this chamber with regard to this event.
With respect to the specific question being asked, I can confirm this is a matter of great concern to the government. With regard to whether there is an investigation, I will, of course, make inquiries. But I will also convey, on behalf of the honourable senator as well as all senators, as I did already with respect to Senator Joyal’s statement, the seriousness which we feel this deserves.
Thousands of Canadians have submitted personal information to the government as part of its appointments process, including yourself, Senator Harder, and many other colleagues in this chamber. These Canadians deserve to have their personal information treated with respect. If that information is purposely leaked, then the leak should be investigated.
Could you please help us by making inquiries and let us know if your government has contacted the Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien about the leak of information surrounding the Supreme Court nomination process and of Chief Justice Joyal?
I will indeed make such inquiries.
