Alberta Provincials Push for Judicial Control

0:00Alberta's government is ramping up pressure on Ottawa for a constitutional tweak to give province's more control over appointing their own superior, and appeal court judges. Premier Danielle Smith, along with leaders from Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Quebec, sent a letter last week to Prime Minister Mark Carney pushing for. Judges recommended only by provincial governments. Federal Justice Minister Sean Frazier shut it down fast, so now, Alberta's firing back with the legislature motion this week. They're modeling an after-cobex motion from nearly a year ago, hoping other provinces, Parliament, and the Senate jump on board. Right now, the Constitution gives Ottawa sole power over these appointments, but changing that needs the House of Commons, Senate, and at least seven. Provinces representing over half the country's population. Folks are split on this. Smith argues it boosts public trust, and gives Alberta a real voice injustice for its people, pointing to the U.S. and Australia, where states handle.

1:01Their own judges, but the Canadian Bar Association, speaking for over 40,000 legal pros, says those comparisons don't fit Canada's setup, were provincial. Judges can even strike down federal laws. Opposition NDP critic, Irfan Sabir, calls Smith out for lack and credibility after her past jabs at judges as activists. Earlier this year, Smith floated a joint federal provincial committee idea, which Frazier also dismissed. The current setup has advisory committees per province, with mostly federal reps recommending candidates to Ottawa. This push signals Alberta's done with polite letters, and ready for bigger moves, including may be holding back court funding down the line, though. They've kept payment steady for now. That's your update from Canada News Today, powered by AI, I'm Corey, with the story.