Premiers need to discover the virtue of silence |
Premiers speak to the media during the 2025 summer meetings of Canada’s Premiers in Huntsville, Ont., in July, 2025.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Canada’s judiciary has been under attack in 2025 by premiers on the left and the right. While their complaints differ, the one prevailing theme is that a large number of the country’s first ministers were frustrated when the judiciary didn’t produce the results they wanted.
So here is a gentle reminder for premiers in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario: That is how it is supposed to work.
Canada’s justice system is not designed to be guided by popularity or political whims. Its independence is meant to provide the public confidence that judicial decisions are unbiased, separated from the political fray. That’s why “Lady Justice” is blindfolded.
Criticism of court judgments isn’t wrong in itself, and there is plenty to disagree with in a number of the cases that the premiers have raised. But making judges political targets undermines public confidence in our justice system. Read together, the public is being encouraged to believe that the courts are not acting with their best interests in mind.
There are other, better ways for a premier to respond to concerns without undermining the courts.
B.C.’s........