Sub-series consists of electronic records documenting the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court of Canada. Sub-series consists of four (4) folders: 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.
This series contains, but is not limited to, lists of candidates and legal experts from various courts, bar associations, and caucus; information about Canada's legal system; candidate biographies and backgrounders; interview questions for candidates and nominees; drafts and press releases announcing nominees; and email correspondence with nominees. The sub-series also contains research documents created by PMO staff, such as long and short lists of candidates, comments, media scans, and reviews of candidates' legal decisions and work. Documents pertaining to the Supreme Court Selection Panel and the Ad Hoc Committee on Supreme Court Appointments are also included, such as procedural documents, research reports and recommendations of the panel, and judicial interview documents.
The Supreme Court Selection Panel was composed of five members of parliament: three from the government caucus, and one from each recognized opposition caucus, as selected by their respective leaders. The panel was responsible for identifying a pool of qualified candidates for appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada. Through consultations with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Attorney General of the respective province or territory, senior members of the Canadian judiciary and other prominent legal organizations, and members of the public who had submitted input, a list of qualified candidates was created for review by the selection panel. The panel provided an unranked list of three qualified candidates to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice for consideration. The selected nominee appeared at a public interview with the Ad Hoc Committee to answer questions from Members of Parliament in order to determine the nominee's qualifications. The committee would submit their advice to the Prime Minister, who would take into account their deliberations on deciding whether to advise the Governor-in-Council to proceed with the appointment. The public interview process was first established in 2006 with Justice Rothstein's appointment. There are also legal opinions and other documents related to the nomination of Judge Marc Nadon to the Supreme Court of Canada.
