Canada’s prime minister has appointed a prominent, female trial lawyer from the province of Quebec to the Supreme Court of Canada. Suzanne Côté’s was welcomed by Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin who, in a news release, praised her “extensive expertise in commercial and civil law.”
Controversy over last appointment
The prime minister’s previous appointment of Marc Nadon was declared void by the Supreme Court because it did not meet the requirements. Before Nadon was appointed, McLachlin had warned the prime minister’s office there was a problem.
Shortly afterwards, Prime Minister Stephen Harper suggested McLachlin had improperly interfered. Jurists in Canada and an international panel of jurists disputed that. The panel said Harper had impugned the integrity of the Chief Justice and that he should apologize to McLachlin. He did not.
This time the government is taking pains to say it consulted a long list of judicial and government figures, including McLachlin before choosing Côté.
According to Canadian law, three of the nine seats on the Supreme Court are reserved for Quebec jurists. The new appointment will bring the number of women on the country’s highest judicial bench to four.
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