The Government of Canada releases report following the appointment of Justice Malcolm Rowe to the Supreme Court of Canada

On behalf of the Independent Advisory Board, the Government of Canada releases their report on the Supreme Court Selection Process

December 16, 2016 – Ottawa, ON – Department of Justice Canada

The Supreme Court of Canada is recognized nationally and internationally for its excellence. To continue and improve upon this tradition, our Government introduced an open and transparent process to appoint a Justice of the highest caliber who would be functionally bilingual and representative of the diversity of our great country. This transparent and open process led to the appointment of Justice Malcolm Rowe from the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (Court of Appeal).

In accordance with this process, the Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments ("Advisory Board") was required to submit to the Government its independent report on the selection process within a month following the appointment of Justice Malcolm Rowe to the Supreme Court of Canada. On November 25, 2016, the Chair of the Independent Advisory Board, the Right Honourable Kim Campbell, provided the government with The Report of the Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments (August – September 2016) ("Report"). To ensure transparency and accountability, the report is now being made public.

The Report includes, among other things, the following information:

• A detailed description of the meetings, review process and recommendation process of the Advisory Board;
• Consultations and outreach;
• Statistics as to the demographics of applicants, including regional and linguistic identity; and
• The Advisory Board's recommendations on appointments to the Supreme Court of Canada.

The report can be found on the website of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs: http://www.fja-cmf.gc.ca/scc-csc/Report-Independent-Advisory-Board-for-the-Supreme-Court-of-Canada-Judicial-Appointments-(November2016)_en.pdf.

Quick Facts

• The Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments was established in August 2016. It is an independent and non-partisan body whose mandate is to provide non-binding, merit-based recommendations to the Prime Minister on Supreme Court of Canada appointments.
• The Advisory Board is supported by the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs.
• Upon receiving the shortlist, the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, undertook a careful, rigorous and thorough process of review and consultation.
• On October 24, the Minister and the Chair of the Advisory Board appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights to discuss the nomination. Details of the hearings are available from the Standing Committee's homepage.
• On October 25, the nominee to the Supreme Court of Canada participated in a moderated question-and-answer session at the University of Ottawa before Parliamentarians.

Associated Links

• Prime Minister's News Release on Appointment of Justice Malcolm Rowe
• House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights
• Prime Minister's News Release on Nomination of Justice Malcolm Rowe as Supreme Court Justice (October 17, 2016)
• Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments
• Prime Minister's News Release on Judicial Appointments Process (August 2, 2016)

Contacts

Valérie Gervais
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-4621

Media Relations
Department of Justice
613-957-4207

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