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Tories seek investigation into leak of Trudeau-JWR clash over top court choice

OTTAWA — The Conservatives are asking for an investigation into leaks of confidential information about Jody Wilson-Raybould’s controversial choice for chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada — and the former justice minister is echoing their call for an inquiry.
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OTTAWA — The Conservatives are asking for an investigation into leaks of confidential information about Jody Wilson-Raybould’s controversial choice for chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada — and the former justice minister is echoing their call for an inquiry.

“This has to stop,” Wilson-Raybould said of the leaks in an emailed statement. ”And given the seriousness of this matter, I feel that there should be consideration of having some sort of investigation as to the source of this information.”

Conservative justice critic Lisa Raitt sent a letter Wednesday to federal judicial affairs commissioner Marc Giroux asking that he investigate the matter. She argued that it appears ”political actors” leaked information about an appointment to the country’s highest court.

If so, Raitt said, it would be “an egregious case of political interference … that severely injures the independence of the judiciary.”

Giroux later responded that he does not have investigatory powers and cannot, therefore, accede to her request. Nevertheless, he took the opportunity to denounce the leaks as “wholly inappropriate.”

“I am deeply concerned and troubled about the release to the media of any confidential information, be it accurate or not, that pertains to judicial appointments to the Supreme Court of Canada, and to some of the finest jurists in our country,” he wrote.

Raitt’s request for an investigation came two days after The Canadian Press and CTV reported that Wilson-Raybould and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau clashed over whom to appoint to the top court upon the retirement of Beverley McLachlin as chief justice in 2017.

Sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss details of the normally confidential process, said Wilson-Raybould urged Trudeau to name Glenn Joyal, chief justice of Manitoba’s Court of Queen’s Bench, to fill both McLachlin’s spot on the bench as a justice from western Canada but also the chief justice role.

They said Trudeau was disturbed to discover that Joyal took a restrictive view of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and had criticized the top court for liberally interpreting it to include “new rights” not explicitly mentioned in the charter. The court’s broad interpretation has led to things like legalization of same-sex marriage and the striking down of Canada’s abortion law and prohibition on medically assisted dying.

Trudeau ultimately appointed Alberta judge Sheilah Martin to fill the western slot on the Supreme Court and elevated sitting Justice Richard Wagner to the role of chief justice.

Wilson-Raybould said Monday there was “no conflict” with Trudeau on the matter but otherwise declined to comment, saying the selection process for Supreme Court justices is confidential and any disclosure “could compromise the integrity of the appointments process and potentially sitting justices.”

However, on Wednesday, citing an anonymous source, the Globe and Mail reported that Wilson-Raybould recommended Joyal as part of a broader plan to appoint an Indigenous judge to the role of chief justice of Manitoba’s Court of Queen’s Bench — which would have been a first for a superior court in Canada.