Though the Prime Minister has made diversity in federal judicial appointments a priority, including charging the Independent Advisory Board to expressly consider diversity, there is no denying that Justice Rowe (despite being Newfoundland’s first Supreme Court judge) is not the diversity candidate many had in mind. Let’s be clear: Justice Malcolm Rowe is likely to be a fine Supreme Court of Canada justice, if not one of the finest on that bench. First, he should make clear that Justice Rowe was appointed because he was the best Canadian for the job, not the best Atlantic Canadian. Third, the prime minister should revisit (though not necessarily reconsider) the “functional bilingualism” requirement. A more diverse Supreme Court is, in many ways, symbolic.

Source: thestar October 19, 2016 09:56 UTC