18°c Partly cloudy
12°c Cloudy with showers
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
A judgeship for Toews
Public safety minister going to Manitoba's Appeal Court: sources
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews (CP)
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews is destined for a new job on Manitoba's highest court, sources say.
There are currently nine judges on the Manitoba Court of Appeal -- one works part time -- but one is due to retire shortly when he hits the compulsory retirement age of 75.
There is also one opening on the Court of Queen's Bench that needs filling.
Sources say Toews is in line for the Court of Appeal opening, but it's an appointment that does not have to be made immediately.
Judges on the Appeal Court and Queen's Bench are federally appointed through the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada. The Queen's Bench and Appeal Court vacancies are to be filled at the same time.
This is the second time it has been said the Provencher MP and senior Manitoba cabinet minister is in line for appointment to the bench. The last time was four years ago, when justice sources said he was to fill a Queen's Bench opening.
However, Toews continued to serve in cabinet under Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Toews has been justice minister and minister responsible for the Treasury Board.
Before entering provincial politics in the mid-'90s, Toews was a provincial Crown attorney specializing in constitutional law. He made the jump to federal politics in 2000.
Recently, Toews said he had no plans to retire when asked if he'll run in the 2015 federal election.
"I keep hearing all the time that I'm retiring, and your newspaper is the one that keeps on saying it," he said. "Also, I have to sort of shrug my shoulders and say, 'You must know something that I don't know.' That's all I can say."
Toews garnered public criticism earlier this year after introducing what's been dubbed an Internet snooping bill.
He told a Liberal MP in the House of Commons in February he could either stand with the government in support of Bill C-30, the Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act, or "with the child pornographers." The bill, which would require telecommunications companies to hand over customer information to police without a court order, was swiftly sent to committee, where it could be reworked.
The fallout from Toews' comment and the bill resulted in the Vikileaks affair in which details of his divorce were released on Twitter.
More recently, it was rumoured he would be part of a cabinet shuffle following the resignation of International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda, who leaves office at the end of the month. Oda has been replaced by Ontario MP Julian Fantino.
Harper told an Alberta radio host this week he's holding off on a wider cabinet shuffle until next year.
"We'll take a look at how everybody's performing and make some major changes at that point," Harper told host Dave Rutherford.
"I'm more likely to look at a big change around mid-term of this government rather than a whole bunch of little changes in between."
They recommend the appointments
The Judicial Advisory Committee for Manitoba recommends who in the province's legal community should be appointed a judge. Judges in Court of Queen's Bench and the Manitoba Court of Appeal are federally appointed.
Chair Madam Justice Brenda Keyser: nominee of the chief justice of Manitoba
Jon van der Krabben: nominee of the Law Society of Manitoba
Tony Kavanagh: nominee of the Canadian Bar Association
Vacant: nominee of the minister of justice and attorney general of Manitoba
Mike Sutherland: nominee of the law enforcement community
Jonathon Lyon: nominee of the federal minister of justice
Marni Larkin: nominee of the federal minister of justice
John Tropak: nominee of the federal minister of justice
Manitoba courts in which judges are federally appointed, as of July 1, 2012:
Court Number of judges Vacancies
Court of Appeal 9 0
Queen's Bench trial27 1
Queen's Bench family 17 0
-- source: Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 9, 2012 A7
More Local
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
Poll
Most Popular Local
- City's first urban reserve born
- Woman drove into river on purpose
- City set to seize derelict hotel
- Crash victims were good friends, free spirits
- Accused fraudster fights extradition to U.S.
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Evidence ignored in dangerous driving acquital, appeal court told
- Witness changes story of killing
- Jockey club launches $350-M civil suit against province
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Crash claims two young women, RCMP say
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Police identify slaying victims
- Apple trick on Ellen falls short for city woman
- 2 dead in crash near Portage la Prairie
- The end of the credit card?
- City's first urban reserve born
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- A child-custody catastrophe
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Co-worker 'sick' today? Maybe it's the $17M flu
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- '2 minutes after I read the winning numbers, I retired': Winnipeg lotto winner
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Parents, community relieved and elated as missing boy found safe
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- City's first urban reserve born
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Better PTSD treatment for RCMP urged
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Armed forces buys buses from Motor Coach
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Accused fraudster fights extradition to U.S.
- Crash victims were good friends, free spirits
- Athletes could sit under new school rules
- City set to seize derelict hotel
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Fishing for fashion
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- Core grocer a challenge: expert
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- City's first urban reserve born
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- North End proud
- Power restored to Linden Woods after goose collides with lines
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Mental-health patients get own ER
- A child-custody catastrophe
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Steen invests $1M in family entertainment centre
- Earls on Main going, but new one coming
- Province introduces changes to rules governing landlords, renters
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Boost same-sex curricula: union
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.