View from the Judges seat in a courtroom at the Edmonton Law Courts building, in Edmonton on Friday, June 28, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

By The Canadian Press

Canadian lawyers group rebukes politicization of judicial appointments from premiers

Mar 27, 2026 | 10:30 AM

Canada’s national lawyers group is rebuking calls from four premiers this week to have Ottawa overhaul how it appoints provincial superior court and appeal judges.

In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, the premiers of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec wrote that they wanted to see only judges who are approved and recommended by their governments be appointed moving forward.

The call was quickly brushed aside by Justice Minister Sean Fraser, and the Canadian Bar Association says the judicial system is better off as it currently stands.

Bianca Kratt, the president of the association which represents more than 40,000 lawyers and judges across Canada, says in her own letter to Carney that politicizing the judicial appointment process would be a step backward.

She says the system isn’t perfect, but letting provinces veto certain judicial candidates would erode public confidence in the court system, not bolster it like the premiers suggested.

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Kratt says Ottawa could improve the system by filling vacancies quicker while provincial governments could spend more in the resources judges need to prevent case delays.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2026.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press