The Supreme Court and the office of the Governor General are apples and oranges – IRPP

July 14, 2021

The appointment of a non-French-speaking GG cannot be a precedent for appointing non-French-speaking Supreme Court justices.

It does not follow from the appointment of Mary Simon, who is bilingual in English and Inuktitut, as the next Governor General of Canada that the prime minister can, should (or must) appoint Supreme Court justices who do not have a working command of both official languages. Let us not confuse apples and oranges, or issues of representation with issues of equality.

Canadians have a constitutional right to be heard in the official language of their choice by federally constituted tribunals without the aid of an interpreter. The fact that the Supreme Court is an exception to that is unconstitutional. I know:

Read More: https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/july-2021/the-supreme-court-and-the-office-of-the-governor-general-are-apples-and-oranges/