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from the Ottawa Citizen

Want ad seeks Supreme Court judge ... Justice minister hopes newspaper ads help replace retiring Major

Canadians who know of a jurist with the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job and the courage to play God on occasion are urged to contact federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler right away.

Starting today, Mr. Cotler is running ads in western dailies and regional newspapers asking the public to suggest candidates qualified to replace Supreme Court Justice Jack Major, 74, whose impending retirement will leave the high court's prairie and northern seat vacant Christmas Day.

The ads mark the first time in the court's 130-year history that the federal government has formally solicited input from outside legal and political circles on who should sit on the nine-judge bench.

"There have been some feelings at one time that the consultations were secret and partisan and that's why I published a protocol of whom I consult," explained Mr. Cotler. "This is yet another component of making the process more transparent and more accountable so it can enhance, I would hope, public confidence in the process."

Mr. Cotler said he aims to have the new judge in place by the end of December, in time for the top court's winter term. "My sense is that we will be able to accomplish that," he confirmed in a telephone interview.

The court's gruelling workload has required its judges to make life-and-death decisions on subjects ranging from abortion, fetal rights and capital punishment to health care policy and Quebec sovereignty.

Not surprisingly, "capacity to manage stress" is high on the dauntingly long list of qualifications demanded for the $266,800-a-year job.

Other requirements include "the highest level" of legal proficiency, professional ethics, honesty, integrity, and candour; superior intellectual ability and analytical and written skills; decisiveness and soundness of judgment; awareness of social context; bilingual capacity; and patience, courtesy, tact, humility, fairness, tolerance, reliability and common sense.

Judges and lawyers from across Western Canada, including the northern territories, are eligible for the appointment. However, a jurist from Saskatchewan or Manitoba is considered more likely to get the nod from Prime Minister Paul Martin since Judge Major and his predecessor both hailed from Alberta.

Mr. Cotler wants individuals and groups to make their written submissions to the Justice Department by Sept. 20. He said he will take the suggestions into account in crafting the secret list of five to eight candidates that will be presented to a nine-member advisory committee. That committee, which will include opposition and government MPs, regional representatives and a retired judge, will vet the candidates' qualifications and provide a confidential short list of three candidates to Mr. Cotler.

The prime minister has pledged to choose from the list.

Finding Judge Major's successor offers the first trial run for the Martin government's experimental new appointment method, which for the first time gives Parliament and Canadians some input into the process.