Justice minister: Nadon not Quebec’s only qualified candidate for Supreme Court

OTTAWA – Justice Minister Peter MacKay says there are a number of qualified Quebec candidates who could be appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada.

But three days after the country’s top court rejected Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s latest appointee to the bench, the Conservative government is ignoring opposition requests that Justice Marc Nadon formally be ruled out of the running.

The Supreme Court said last week that Nadon, a semi-retired Federal Court of Appeal judge, did not meet the very specific eligibility requirements for a Quebec seat on the bench that are laid out in the Supreme Court Act.

New Democrats, Liberals and the Bloc Quebecois are all demanding to know how the government plans to address thehigh court’s ruling, but they’re getting few solid answers.

The Conservatives say they are exploring their options, but MacKay did tell the Commons the government will move to fill the Quebec vacancy and that, in MacKay’s words, “we have many qualified people for this job.”

Harper, travelling in Europe, has yet to be asked about Nadon’s unprecedented rejection by the Canadian reporters travelling with him.