Justice committee  I would add that the advisory board was looking at the overall needs of the Supreme Court and Canada. During our interviews, we asked each candidate a specific question regarding their knowledge of civil law and their approach to bijuralism, which is an important aspect of the Supreme Court's work.

Justice committee  As the minister mentioned, the key asset of the Advisory Board is its independence. This aspect contributes to changing the perception of the Canadian public and of the candidates with respect to the process and, at the end of the day, improving the reputation of the Supreme Court of Canada because people see that the justices are appointed through an entirely independent selection process.

Justice committee  As I mentioned in my remarks, one of the first things our board did was to meet with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Richard Wagner. We spent more than an hour with him openly discussing the current requirements and needs of the Supreme Court. It is in the context of that exchange and other discussions held by our board that we identified the need to have one justice with expertise in criminal law and constitutional law, as I was saying this morning.

Justice committee  Thank you, Minister. Madam Chair, members of the committee, Minister, good morning. It was a great honour for me to act for a second time as chairperson and member of the Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments. It is also an honour for me to testify before your committee this morning.

Justice committee  In terms of how the board has evolved or changed for different appointments, I expect that may also reflect the jurisdictional or regional representation that is attached to the openings as they arise. This is my first opportunity, as you know, to be involved. Let me say, I was very impressed by not only the calibre, the experience and lively commitment of each of the board members, but also how we came together—most of us not knowing each other—and actually had a very successful collaboration and a lot of fun getting to the result that we have today.

Justice committee  I might add to that point that Justice O'Bonsawin had administrative responsibility as the judge for the court in L'Orignal, a small community to the southeast of Ottawa. In one of the cases that was included in her application, she refers to a decision where she, on appeal, dealt with, in effect, a child situation where the Jordan's principle had been applied, and she overruled the decision on appeal.

Justice committee  I would encourage members of this committee or Canadians who are following this to watch, if they haven't done so, the feature interview with Justice Mahmud Jamal in late June that was on CTV. I expect it's easy to find on the Internet. Beyond the formal steps that we identify, such as the Supreme Court of Canada sitting, as it will in mid-September in Quebec City, to get out more, I think every one of us here today might, between now and the end of September, pick up the phone and call someone who might someday be thinking about this or be ready to start thinking.

Justice committee  The committee absolutely did not. No.

Justice committee  Let me accept the point of the question insofar as it recognizes the very significant contributions over time of Justice Michael Moldaver at the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as in his earlier judicial appointments, which go back to 1990. Justice Moldaver has been a leader in the criminal law field, including in the professional education—

Justice committee  That was the premise of the question, but let me definitely recognize the point that the minister has made and indeed that the chief justice made when we met with him, that judges throughout Canada, whether they're on the superior courts, on the courts of appeal or on the Supreme Court of Canada, are in fact dealing with roughly half of their docket in the criminal law field.

Justice committee  If I may, I would like to underline or add a point.

Justice committee  It is indeed a combination of factors. Personal skills, experience and professional qualifications must be considered. It important to understand that the Supreme Court of Canada is a court with general jurisdiction. One should always look for judges who are able to exercise expertise in a variety of areas.

Justice committee  The independent advisory board prepares a detailed report for the Prime Minister proposing three to five highly qualified individuals. Our board also explains the reasoning behind the selection of candidates. We give ministers and the Prime Minister time to review this report and conduct consultations.

Justice committee  The purpose of the board is to assess the qualifications of the candidates and make a report that leaves the choice of appointment to the Prime Minister. With respect to diversity, after receiving nominations, our board has a serious task ahead. It must conduct a detailed study, in a collaborative manner, before arriving at a consensus decision on which candidates are qualified for inclusion in the report to the Prime Minister.

Justice committee  Basically, the issue of diversity comes into play when individuals submit their applications. Once the independent advisory board receives the nominations, it assesses the qualifications of the candidates, their professional skills, their character, as well as their experience before various courts.