LIBERALS' SHOW FOR THE PEASANTS

  The Supreme Court’s chief justice and the federal justice minister recently signed an accord “recognizing and reinforcing” the top court’s independence, a move Conservative justice critic Lisa Raitt says is “ironic,” given reports earlier this year that the government “clearly sought to interfere with a Crown prosecutor’s independence.”
  Justice Minister and Attorney General David Lametti (LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, Que.) and Chief Justice Richard Wagner signed the accord, which “publicly” defines the role of the federal justice minister in making recommendations related to the Registrar of the Supreme Court and in decision-making over funding for the court’s operations, on July 22.
   The accord “exemplifies Canada’s commitment to safeguarding its institutions and protecting democratic values such as judicial independence,” said Justice Wagner in a press release. “A judiciary that is independent—and seen to be independent—benefits all Canadians.”