The NDP, Liberals, and Bloc, re-formed their coalition last week in order to pass a provocative piece of legislation. Together, these three left wing parties passed C 232 an NDP private members’ bill that would require future Supreme Court justices to be able to understand English and French “without the assistance of an interpreter.”

Now, most Supreme Court judges are already functionally bilingual, but C 232 demands a level of bilingualism so high, that six of our current nine justices would not qualify, including one of our justices from Quebec, according to a former Supreme Court justice.

The vast majority of Canadians will understand the cheap politics that motivated the NDP to engage in this political stunt.  But deciding who sits on the Supreme Court should be more than just an exercise in political showmanship. The Supreme Court of Canada should be made up of the best legal minds in the country, not just those appointed from a pool of jurists who happen to be perfectly bilingual. The reputation of the Supreme Court of Canada, the highest court in the land, should not be sullied by an all-too-obvious court packing plan mired in the politics of language.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can call my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133 or drop by our two offices to visit: Saskatoon Monday-Friday or Humboldt Tuesday and Wednesday. I always appreciate your feedback.