Article contentOTTAWA — A bill that requires sexual assault training for federally appointed judges has been amended by MPs to also include training on “systemic racism and systemic discrimination” — a change some see as a troubling sign politicians will keep venturing further into judicial training. Judges are self-governed through independent bodies to insulate them from political pressure, and already have their own training programs, including on sexual assault. Try refreshing your browser, or MPs amend judge sex-assault training bill to add systemic racism training, sparking new concerns Back to videoSupporters of the bill argue this is simply Parliament signalling that more must be done to protect the rights of sexual assault complainants and avoid basic legal errors. They note that judicial organizations are still responsible for creating the actual training content. But critics worry the bill represents politicians trying to inject their policy preferences into judicial training, and that once the door is opened through this sex-assault training bill, future governments will pile on with their own political priorities, such as national security.

Source: National Post October 27, 2020 23:46 UTC