Courts must not grow distant from public, say PC’s

HALIFAX, NS – Progressive Conservative Justice critic Allan MacMaster took issue with how the NDP government appoints judges today, noting that the NDP have gone back to the old days when women and minority candidates were seldom given appointments.

“In two and a half years, the NDP have appointed only one woman as a judge and she sits almost exclusively in Family Court,” said MacMaster. “The Provincial Court, which hears criminal matters, needs more women. There are qualified candidates out there – Premier Darrell Dexter and Justice Minister Ross Landry are doing a poor job.”

When young Nova Scotian women or minorities don’t see people like themselves on the bench, it makes it harder for the entire justice system to be respected.

“Today, the Premier spoke in private to the Canadian Bar Association when he should be accounting for this injustice in public,” said MacMaster.

Under the NDP, eight judges have been appointed to Provincial and Family Courts. Six of the eight sit predominantly in Provincial Court and all are men. The only female judge the NDP appointed sits in Family Court and none sit in French.

“They’re all good judges but when citizens come before a court, they need to know it is fair and that the system isn’t stacked against them,” said MacMaster. “Their chances of seeing a woman or a French speaker on the bench are actually going down and that’s a serious problem.”

In recent years, Judge Pierre Muise was elevated to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia and former Chief Judge Jean Louis Batiot is now semi-retired, meaning the number of Provincial Court Judges who hear matters in French is dropping.

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