Backgrounder

The Ad Hoc Committee

Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Irwin Cotler, has announced the creation of an ad hoc committee to review two nominees for appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada. The ad hoc committee is comprised of seven Members of Parliament representing all parties. It also includes one representative each of the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Canadian Judicial Council.

Members of the ad hoc committee are:

Derek Lee, Liberal MP for Scarborough-Rouge River
Sue Barnes, Liberal MP for London West
Denis Paradis, Liberal MP for Brome-Missisquoi
Vic Toews, Conservative MP for Provencher
Peter MacKay, Conservative MP for Central Nova
Richard Marceau, Bloc Québécois MP for Charlesbourg
Joe Comartin, New Democratic Party MP for Windsor-Tecumseh
Julian Porter, Law Society of Upper Canada
Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Appeal John Richard, Canadian Judicial Council

The Minister will appear before the committee, which is chaired by Derek Lee, to elaborate on the nominees' professional capacity and the personal characteristics that informed his recommendation, specifically:

• In relation to professional capacity: intellectual ability, writing skills, open-mindedness, decisiveness, diligence, ability to collaborate, awareness of racial, gender and other similar issues, bilingual capacity, specific expertise required for the court; and

• In relation to personal characteristics: honesty, integrity, candor, patience courtesy, tact, humility, fairness and common sense.

Committee members will also have an opportunity to ask questions of the Minister in relation to these criteria and the process.

The ad hoc committee will make its views known through a written report from the Committee Chair not later than August 27, 2004 for consideration by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The committee will also separately provide its advice on the ad hoc committee process itself, for consideration on the question of the longer-term process for future review of Supreme Court appointments.

Committee Timetable:

August 2004