Clash between Quebec executive and judiciary flares up over how to deal with conjugal and sexual violence

An unusually public clash between the Quebec Justice Minister and the Chief Justice of the Court of Quebec has materialized over competing visions on how to deal with conjugal and sexual violence cases, with little signs of abating.

The simmering skirmish between the executive and the judiciary erupted in the open shortly after Chief Justice Lucie Rondeau announced on Sept 28th the creation of a new division within the Court of Quebec to deal with conjugal and sexual violence offences, two weeks after the Quebec government tabled a bill that would move away from the traditional criminal justice framework to deal with gender-based violence and create a “specialized” court to deal with these offences.

“This bill raises concerns,” Chief Justice Lucie Rondeau told me. “The Court was not consulted in the preparation of this bill. We were informed of the tabling of the bill on the same day the public was informed. I have not had any discussions and my vision is different.”

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This story was originally published in The Lawyer’s Daily.

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