Harper not living up to duty to protect Charter duties: lawyers group

OTTAWA – The Harper government is falling short in its duty as a guardian of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

That’s the message that will be delivered in a major speech Friday to the Canadian Bar Association.

Simon Potter, a past president of the association, is to deliver that assessment at a day-long conference on the state of constitutional law in Canada.

The annual symposium by Canada’s top legalists is taking place amid unprecedented acrimony between the Harper government and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office recently accused Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin of inappropriately seeking to contact him over the appointment of Marc Nadon, which the high court rejected in a separate ruling.

The government can expect more criticism Friday when the association recommends reforms to Supreme Court selection process in the wake of the Nadon affair.