General

New federal judges overwhelmingly white, the two exceptions being Metis

Ninety-eight out of 100 recently appointed federal judges are white, according to a Globe and Mail investigation. The two exceptions were Metis judges in B.C. and Alberta.

From the piece:

The lack of diversity among judges raises searching questions in a country where one in five citizens belongs to a visible minority and where many people can expect to see a bench that does not reflect them.

The opaque nature of the appointment process is equally startling. Judges with vast powers of interpretation under the Charter are still appointed behind closed doors. To obtain a glimpse of recent patterns, The Globe has used Internet searches and culled information from judicial sources and law firms where judicial appointees worked.

In related news, a candidate for Alberta’s Wildrose Party said Sunday that as a Caucasian he has an advantage over other, presumably non-white, candidates. He later apologized for the remark, saying that he “loves all of the people, all of the cultural groups.”

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