Law Times

Law TiMes • May 28, 2012 Merit versus diversity Continued from page 1 representation only." sory committee must reflect the di- versity of Ontario' attorney general appoints seven of its lay members with an additional two appointed by the chief justice of the Ontario Court of Justice. One is a member of the Ontario Judicial Council and three are lawyers appointed by the law so- ciety, the Ontario Bar Association, and the County & District Law Presidents' Association. There' According to Hassan, the advi- s population. The committee to recommend a spe- cific number of diverse individu- als for judicial positions, however. Amer Mushtaq, a human rights lawyer at Mushtaq Law who attended the discussion, says it' process that ensures diverse repre- sentation. "It' the experiences of diverse judges are on par with the experiences of those who are currently on the bench," says Mushtaq. "For example, aboriginal s important to have a selection s very important that s no requirement for the having me as a judge isn't positive?" Another panellist, Ontario Court Justice Shaun Nakatsuru, noted that having a diverse bench is particularly important for ra- cialized communities. "At the end of the day, the community wants to respect the justice system and seeing a part of themselves in it is an important part of that," he said. "It allows them to say, 'I can belong as an individual in this justice system.'" Joga Chahal, president of the Canadian Association of South Asian Lawyers, says diversity on the bench also plays an important role for those in the community who look for role models. "I think it' bench be reflective of the com- munity it serves for a couple of rea- sons," says Chahal. "Firstly, for peo- ple who come to court looking for justice, that includes the different perspectives of their communities in the decisions they receive. Also, to allow people like me to aspire to be judges themselves." s important that the LT people have a very different way of penalizing people than other cultures. If the judge was aborigi- nal as well, he would have a dif- ferent and perhaps more effective way of imposing a penalty on an aboriginal person than another judge who may not understand aboriginal culture. cling student in Toronto who at- tended the discussion, says while the event was important, race shouldn't drive the judicial appli- cation process. "It' But Deebshikha Dutt, an arti- " an understanding about the need for diversity on the bench and that there is faith in the system that it can be reached, s good to know that there is the same time, I don't think race should subjectively make a differ- ence in who is selected to become a judge or affect their judgment solely. It shouldn't matter if you're black or white or Asian. What you know and how well you'll perform should matter. " says Dutt. "At Manjusha Pawagi, another pan- ellist at the event, said judicial appointments shouldn't come down to a debate between merit and diversity. "Diversity is just one aspect of a broader picture of a person's merits," said Pawagi. "I think it's But Ontario Court " Justice important to let people know that they can come from nowhere and still become a judge. At the same time, white is also an ethnicity, too, and we can't assume their per- spectives won't be different from person to person either. tice Russell Juriansz, who attend- ed the discussion briefly, echoed Pawagi' Ontario Court of Appeal Jus- " that while many white judges have made progressive decisions court, room still exists for diver- sity on the bench. " s sentiments. He noted in sense of belonging in Canadian society, portant part of that. Who is to say All Canadians need to have a " he said. "Judges are an im- A Noticeable Difference ™ TORONTO I BARRIE I HAMILTON I 1-888-909-2904 I www.mcleishorlando.com Untitled-3 1 www.lawtimesnews.com 12-04-30 4:35 PM Sure, we could tell you that our client was awarded the largest personal injury judgment in Canadian history and that all our principal partners are past-presidents of the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association. We could also mention that our firm was voted top five in its field in Canada and that we have a five out of five preeminent peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell. All those achievements and honours don't just happen. They're the result of the way we work and the way we care for our clients. Don't take our word for it... ask around. When you know someone with a personal injury case, call the lawyers that lawyers recommend most. Ask about our competitive referral fees. NEWS Oakville firm has moved offices Continued from page 1 complex where Will Davidson was located. Although police didn't suspect foul play at the time, the arson unit investigated the blaze and considered the time of day when it oc- curred, 8:09 p.m., to be suspicious. The firm now lists its office in the area as 2070 Hadwen Rd. in Mississauga, Ont. Meanwhile, police in Sault Ste. Marie are also investigating more than a dozen suspi- cious fires that cropped up over three days during the week of May 14, according to OPP press releases. According to the release, Sault Ste. Marie PAGE 5 police are searching for an unidentified person of interest. They believe the suspect may have set five small fires in the Flour Mill area of the city this month. It' tween the fires at the Sault Ste. Marie law offices and the courthouse as the OPP, the fire mar- shal, and the Batchewana First Nation police continue to investigate, says Batchewana police Sgt. Doug Sewell. "We haven't heard anything back yet from the fire marshal," he notes. s not clear if there are any connections be- A fire caused significant damage to an Oakville law firm in March. "They are still investigating at this point." OPP Det. Staff Sgt. Sean Sparling says the arsons have been a concern for the public for the last year and notes information from resi- dents has played a crucial role in the ongoing investigations. LT

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