Glover appointed to judge’s panel

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This article was published 11/06/2013 (4606 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — Manitoba Conservative MP Shelly Glover is among five MPs chosen to advise the justice minister on who to appoint as Canada’s next Supreme Court justice.

Glover, a former police officer, was named by Justice Minister Rob Nicholson Tuesday, along with Conservatives Jacques Gourde and Robert Goguen, NDP MP Françoise Boivin and Liberal Dominic LeBlanc.

“I’m absolutely honoured to be appointed to this panel and will serve with pride and integrity,” Glover said in a statement.

The panel will assess a list of candidates proposed by Nicholson, review their resumés and a selection of judgments, and present a final list of three. Nicholson and Prime Minister Stephen Harper will then choose the final candidate.

Not everyone is thrilled with Glover’s inclusion on the committee, as she is facing possible suspension from the House of Commons in a dispute with Elections Canada over her 2011 election expenses.

Glover will be in court in Winnipeg next week fighting an Elections Canada requirement she claim the cost of bus bench ads and posters on sidewalk garbage bins, which she purchased as an MP but which remained up during the 2011 election campaign. Glover argues she should not have to claim them because they weren’t election signs.

Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand wrote to House of Commons Speaker Andrew Scheer in May to inform him of the dispute and note a section of the Elections Act says an MP who has not properly filed their election expenses is not to sit or vote in the House until the correct documents are filed.

Scheer has postponed making a decision pending the outcome of the court case, although he is currently pondering a point of privilege calling on him to let the House of Commons vote on it.

Glover’s colleagues defended her Tuesday as hard working but some in opposition think Harper should not have included Glover on the Supreme Court selection panel.

“The decisions on who gets to sit on committees is up to the government but for me when there’s a case before the courts that may well end up at the Supreme Court, if indeed Ms. Glover is on that committee, it seems sort of perhaps a bit of a conflict for her to sit there,” said Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau. “It’s certainly (not) the kind of optics that a government that is trying to get itself out of a terrible ethical pit should be encouraging right now but, you know, this government doesn’t seem to be following any of my recommendations on transparency and openness.”

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca