Premiers Push for Provincial Role in Judge Appointments

0:00Four premieres from Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Alberta have sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney pushing for a bigger role in picking. Judges for superior and appeal courts in their provinces, they also want changes to Supreme Court appointments. Justice Minister Sean Frazier responded by saying, the current federal process is working fine and no major shifts are planned. The premier's point to countries like the United States, Germany, Australia, and Switzerland, where regional governments handle similar court appointments. They argue for recommending and approving candidates themselves, plus getting full access to background checks to better match judges to local needs, and diversity. These leaders have voiced frustrations with judges before. Ontario's Doug Ford has called some bleeding hearts and even floated electing them for accountability. Alberta's Danielle Smith claimed many judges donate to liberals and threatened to cut funding without more input. Frazier noted provinces already get consulted through advisory committees, and he's heard positive feedback leading to strong picks.

1:04He welcomes more provincial involvement in that back and forth without needing constitutional changes. As talks continue, the fed seem open to stronger collaboration, aiming to keep the system balanced while addressing provincial concerns head on. This has been Canada News Today, powered by AI.