TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st October, 2020) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his judicial appointment process in the House of Commons on Tuesday, amid allegations of interference by the Prime Minister's Office in the selection process.
"We will continue to appoint the highest-qualified jurists on a merit-based approach that we reformed after the Conservatives made it political," Trudeau said.
On Tuesday, the state CBC broadcaster reported that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has an outsized role in the judicial appointment process, including rigorous vetting along partisan lines by Trudeau's Liberal Party officials and insiders.
Former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould, who was forced out of her role by Trudeau after testifying that the PMO had put pressure on her in the SNC-Lavalin affair, said in an interview with state radio that she was aware of partisan pressure on appointments from Liberal Party officials all the way up to the PMO.
Trudeau countered the allegations saying that his cabinet instituted independent committees to oversee the process and make recommendations.
Conservative Party leader Erin O'Toole blasted Trudeau, saying that the allegations are just another example of him and his cabinet using government privilege for the benefit of the Liberal Party and well-placed insiders, citing the Prime Minister's multiple ethics violations.
