Statement
From Department of Justice Canada
OTTAWA, October 27, 2017 /CNW/ - The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today issued the following statement:
"I applaud the work of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada on the release of statistics on the diversity and official language proficiency of judicial appointees and applicants.
"Our government has made critical reforms to the appointment process for superior court judges, making it more open, transparent and accountable to Canadians. As a result of the reformed merit-based process, we have appointed and elevated outstanding jurists who reflect the diversity of our country – more than 120 since taking office. Of those, nearly 54% are women, and the number of appointments from other historically under-represented groups is unprecedented.
"We have created a more thorough application process and have committed to collecting and reporting on demographic statistics on applicants and appointees. This is so that Canadians can hold the Government to account on our promise to appoint a bench that reflects the face of Canada.
"Our Government remains committed to reinforcing public confidence in the judicial appointment process. We are doing this while upholding Canada's proud tradition of an independent judiciary that is second to none."
SOURCE Department of Justice Canada
For further information: For more information, media may contact: Kathleen Davis, Communications and Parliamentary Affairs Advisor, Office of the Minister of Justice, 613-992-4621; Media Relations, Department of Justice Canada, 613-957-4207, media@justice.gc.ca
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