First They Mocked Danielle Smith. Now Four Provinces Agree With Her.

Oliver

Danielle Smith was first. She sent a letter to Mark Carney in January proposing that Alberta get more say in judicial appointments. She suggested a committee with equal provincial and federal representation. She even threatened to withhold some court funding until Ottawa listened.

The Canadian Bar Association lost their minds. They called her out for "making judicial appointments a political issue." Their Alberta chapter president issued a stern statement warning that judges must "fairly and independently apply the law, not produce outcomes that suit the government of the day." Nice little lecture about the rule of law from an organization that apparently thinks provinces shouldn't have a voice in who judges their courts.

Three months later, three more provinces signed on. Ontario. Quebec. Saskatchewan. That's Doug Ford, Francois Legault, and Scott Moe - not exactly a group of radical separatists. They sent a joint letter to Carney demanding exactly what Smith proposed: provinces get to approve and recommend judges before they're appointed.

So what do the critics have to say now?

The Canadian Bar Association is suspiciously quiet these days. No follow-up statements. No corrections. No "we regret the inference." They were so quick to lecture Smith about "political interference" when she was the only one saying it. Now that four provinces - representing the majority of Canada's population - are making the same demand, suddenly it's not worth commenting on.

Doug Ford, of all people, is now standing beside Smith's position. The same Doug Ford who got dragged through every media outlet in the country for everything he's ever done. He's saying "I think we deserve a say on who the appointment is going to be." He's right. And if the media had treated Smith's proposal fairly back in January instead of using it as a stick to beat her with, maybe this conversation would be further along.

The federal government, naturally, is pushing back. Justice Minister Sean Fraser says they're "not contemplating a sea change" and the current process is "working well." It's only working well if you think provinces having zero say in who sits in judgment over their citizens is fine.

Here's the reality: The US does it this way. Australia does it this way. Parts of Europe do it this way. Provinces know their communities best. This isn't radical. It's common sense wrapped in a federalism debate.

Smith was first. She took the heat. Now the cavalry arrived - and the critics have gone silent.

If you have anything you want us to talk about, send it over to me, email: oliverpalberta@gmail.com with the Subject Line reading "Drill Into This", and we'll work to get it done.

~ Oliver