The Ford government’s controversial new process for selecting the next provincial court chief justice is “defective,” says a former top judge, while a legal expert said it presents a “glaring red flag” and highlights the need for an independent appointment system. It’s a long-standing convention that only the chief justice speaks with the executive on matters impacting the court, ensuring the separation between the executive and judicial branches of government. That’s what former Ontario Court Chief Justice Brian Lennox did as his eight-year term came to an end in 2007. “The chief justice does not have a comment on what she has communicated to the attorney general,” the court said in a brief statement to the Star on Friday. People have to trust the judicial system.”Liberal attorney general critic Lucille Collard described the process as “another authoritarian move against our democracy” by the government.

Source: thestar December 17, 2022 05:02 UTC