A series of new interim rules introduced by the Quebec government to tighten the judicial nomination and selection process has drawn lukewarm praise, not in the least because it fails to rein in the discretionary powers of the Premier and the Minister of Justice even though the Bastarache commission warned that the process was open to possible political interference.
In late January, the Bastarache commission made sweeping recommendations to address “several weaknesses” in the Quebec judicial selection and appointment process “vulnerable to all manner of interventions and influence.”
The new interim rules, described by legal insiders as a “step in the right direction,” makes a few minor changes to the judicial selection and appointment process, notably prohibiting political staff who work for the Minister of Justice and the Premier’s office from taking part in the process.