Law Times

Law Times • January 15, 2018 Page 5 www.lawtimesnews.com Concerns raised over number of bilingual judges BY DALE SMITH For Law Times OTTAWA — A new report by the House of Commons Stand- ing Committee on Official Languages examined the state of access to justice in minority official languages in Ca0nada and offered recommendations on how to improve that access to legal services in both languages across the country. Bilingual lawyers say that the report's rec- ommendations have merit and that the government needs to in- vest more resources to improve Canadians' access to programs in French outside Quebec. The report, titled "Ensuring Justice is Done in Both Official Languages," makes 10 recom- mendations to the government on how to improve the current system. They include allow- ing the chief justices of superior courts to designate vacancies on the bench to be filled with bilingual candidates, develop objective assessment tools for language proficiency and bet- ter translation services for deci- sions and get representation by minority language communities on the various judicial advisory committees. "We need a sufficient number of judges who are able to under- stand litigants," says Caroline Magnan, counsel with Power Law in Calgary, who also teaches at the University of Ottawa Fac- ulty of Law. Magnan notes that federal laws, as well as laws in New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba, as well as the three territories, are enacted in both official languages, so judg- es need to understand French in order to give full effect to the French version of those laws. In other provinces, the Criminal Code guarantees that accused persons have equal access to the courts in the official language of their choice. The report noted that peo- ple in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador can't obtain a divorce in French because of the lack of access of qualified family law re- sources. "For a long time, minority language communities focused mostly on criminal law as the basis of what was needed, but now there's a push toward al- lowing people to pursue their family law matters in the official language of their choice," says Magnan. Being able to designate va- cancies on the bench be filled by bilingual judges is the way to go, says Alan Riddell, partner with Soloway Wright LLP in Ottawa. "I do think there is a danger in going too far in picking peo- ple because of how many boxes you can check off beside their name as opposed to how great their legal abilities are, but one of the most important checklist boxes is this ability to be able to work in both official languages," says Riddell. "This is one check- mark that is really essential." Because the current system relies on judicial applicants to self-assess their language skills, Riddell says that there have to be objective standards and that judges or potential judges be assisted in meeting with more training resources. He adds that there is a real concern by franco- phone litigants that there may be judges whose bilingualism is not adequate. "If you don't ensure that those who claim to be capable of hear- ing bilingual proceedings are in fact fully bilingual and will always be above a certain stan- dard, then this fear that franco- phone litigants have of getting someone who is not actually proficient in French is going to send a chill through those liti- gants on the issue of asking for bilingual proceedings," says Rid- dell. The report also highlight- ed the need for standardized French common law terminol- ogy, which Magnan says is be- cause there aren't enough pub- lishers and law schools to create the standardization, which can create problems with litigants. "Sometimes, how [a term] is used in Alberta could be differ- ent from how it's used in Que- bec or New Brunswick, for ex- ample," says Magnan. "There is some catching up to do." Nadia Effendi, partner with Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in Toronto and a board mem- ber of the Association des ju- ristes d'expression française de l'Ontario, says the AJEFO was pleased with the report, as it has always maintained the need to increase the bilingual capacity of the judiciary and to inform judges about language rights. Effendi says the recommen- dation that every judicial advi- sory committee ensure official language minority community representation is wholeheartedly supported. "The JAC should not simply be a vehicle meant to represent the majority," says Effendi. "It should ensure that the voice of the minority communities is heard." Ontario Superior Court Jus- tice Robert Beaudoin echoes that sentiment and notes that much of these recommenda- tions were previously expressed by the former commissioner of official languages, Graham Fra- ser, in his 2013 report on Supe- rior Court judiciary. "It's important to continue to stress the need to ensure that justice is done in both official languages," says Beaudoin. "The Fraser report made rec- ommendations in the past and nothing much seems to have happened on that, and now we have another report, and hope- fully this will result in some ac- tion." David Taylor, spokesman for Justice Minister Jody Wil- son-Raybould, says the federal government "is committed to ensuring that Canadians have access to justice in the official language of their choice." LT NEWS Caroline Magnan says there is a need for 'a sufficient number of judges who are able to understand litigants' who speak French. JUDICIAL VACANCY ONTARIO COURT OF JUSTICE BRAMPTON The Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee advises the Attorney General of Ontario on the appointment of Judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, and invites applications for a judicial position in Brampton. This appointment involves presiding over family and criminal law matters (approximately 75% family and 25% criminal) and also involves travel within the regional boundaries as assigned by the Regional Senior Justice and/or the Chief Justice. The minimum requirement to apply to be a Judge in the Ontario Court of Justice is ten years completed membership as a barrister and solicitor at the Bar of one of the Provinces or Territories of Canada. All candidates must apply either by submitting 14 copies of the current (July 2017) completed Judicial Candidate Information Form in the first instance or by a short letter (14 copies) if the form has been submitted within the previous 12 months. Should you wish to change any information in your application, you must send in 14 copies of a fully revised Judicial Candidate Information Form. If you wish to apply and need a current Judicial Candidate Information Form, or if you would like further information, please contact: Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee Tel: (416) 326-4060 Fax: (416) 212-7316 Website: www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/jaac/ All applications, either sent by courier, mail or hand delivery, must be sent to: Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee c/o Ministry of Government Services Mail Delivery 77 Wellesley Street West, Room M2B-88 Macdonald Block, Queen's Park Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1N3 Applications must be on the current prescribed form and must be TYPEWRITTEN or COMPUTER GENERATED and RECEIVED BY 4:30 p.m. on Friday, February 2, 2018. CANDIDATES ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE 14 COPIES OF THEIR APPLICATION FORM OR LETTER. A Fax copy will be accepted only if 14 copies of the application or letter are sent concurrently by overnight courier. Applications received after this date WILL NOT be considered. The Judiciary of the Ontario Court of Justice should reasonably reflect the diversity of the population it serves. Applications from members of equality- seeking groups are encouraged. POSTE À POURVOIR AU SEIN DE LA MAGISTRATURE COUR DE JUSTICE DE L'ONTARIO BRAMPTON Le Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature conseille le Procureur général de l'Ontario sur les nominations de juges à la Cour de justice de l'Ontario et invite les personnes intéressées à présenter leur demande au poste de juge à Brampton. Cette nomination comprend la présidence d'affaires de droit de la famille et de droit criminel (environ 75 % droit de la famille et 25 % droit criminel) et nécessite également des déplacements à l'intérieur des limites régionales, selon les assignations du juge principal régional ou du juge en chef. Pour pouvoir poser sa candidature à un poste de juge à la Cour de justice de l'Ontario, il faut, comme condition minimale, avoir été inscrit comme avocat-plaidant et procureur au barreau de l'une des provinces ou de l'un des territoires du Canada pendant au moins dix ans. Tous les candidats et candidates doivent poser leur candidature soit, dans le premier cas, en présentant le Formulaire de renseignements sur le candidat/la candidate à la magistrature courant (juillet 2017), soit en envoyant une courte lettre (en 14 exemplaires) si le formulaire a été présenté au cours des 12 mois précédents. En cas de changements à apporter à un formulaire déjà envoyé, le candidat ou la candidate doit envoyer à nouveau 14 exemplaires du formulaire de renseignements corrigé. Si vous voulez poser votre candidature et que vous avez besoin d'un Formulaire de renseignements sur le candidat/la candidate à la magistrature courant, ou encore si vous souhaitez obtenir de plus amples renseignements, veuillez communiquer avec : Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature Téléphone : (416) 326-4060 Télécopieur : (416) 212-7316 Site Web : www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/fr/jaac/ Toutes les demandes envoyées par service de messagerie, par la poste ou en main propre doivent être soumises à l'adresse suivante : Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature a/s Ministère des Services gouvernementaux - Services de distribution du courrier 77, rue Wellesley Ouest, salle M2B-88 Édifice Macdonald, Queen's Park Toronto (Ontario) M7A 1N3 Les demandes de candidature doivent être déposées par l'entremise du formulaire prescrit courant et DACTYLOGRAPHIÉES ou CRÉÉES PAR ORDINATEUR et reçues au plus tard à 16 h 30 le vendredi 2 février 2018. LES CANDIDATS ET CANDIDATES DOIVENT FOURNIR 14 EXEMPLAIRES DE LEUR FORMULAIRE OU DE LEUR LETTRE DE CANDIDATURE. Une télécopie ne sera acceptée que si 14 exemplaires du formulaire ou de la lettre de candidature sont également envoyés par service de messagerie de 24 heures. On n'accordera AUCUNE considération aux candidatures reçues après cette date. La magistrature provinciale doit refléter raisonnablement la diversité de la population qu'elle sert. Nous encourageons les membres de groupes de promotion de l'égalité à présenter une demande. Untitled-1 1 2018-01-10 10:22 AM

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