Canada’s democratic institutions need protection in the face of unrelenting pressures, Chief Justice Richard Wagner said Monday as the Supreme Court of Canada opened a new judicial year.
Wagner said the world feels increasingly uncertain due to deepening polarization, the non-stop pace of events and the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence.
When seas grow rough an anchor keeps a vessel from drifting, and democratic institutions play the same role in society, Wagner said.
“The strength of an anchor is not measured in calm waters,” he added. “It is measured in a storm. The same is true for the rule of law.”
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Wagner, flanked by the other members of the Supreme Court, spoke at a ceremony in the court’s temporary new building.
The top court is settling in at the West Memorial Building, not far from Parliament Hill, while the court’s permanent home across the street undergoes extensive renovations.
Refurbishing the stately Supreme Court building is expected to take at least 10 years.
A formal welcome for the court’s newest member, Glenn Joyal, is set to take place next month.
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Justice Minister Sean Fraser told the courtroom full of dignitaries Monday that provinces, communities and groups of people are asking questions about their roles within the Canadian federation.
“If we expect to preserve national unity, we must constantly improve the public’s belief that the systems that we enjoy serve their interests over time,” he said. “The law has an important role to play in this regard.”
Fraser said that at a time “when it’s difficult to discern between truth and fiction, particularly with the rise and deployment of artificial intelligence, the truth-seeking function of this court and courts across Canada could never be more important.”
Where were these liberal hypocrites in robes when Trudeau invoked the emergency act to crush a peaceful trucker protest in Ottawa, and froze protest supporters bank accounts? Were they protecting democratic institutions…?
If the Supreme Court wants to preserve National unity, why are they continually awarding money and land to the natives, when the treaties clearly state what rights they were given in exchange for the land? That is not AI but blind bias.
Stop letting Liberals ruin democratic institutions.
What a joke coming from these liberal hacks who have destroyed our rights, democracy and country.
This the guy who won’t recuse himself from the EA case despite a clear bias? Ya f him and the rest of these clowns. We need an elected court.
Mawe…poor liberals see the writing on the wall and can’t allow real opinions.
To late, Carney has shat all over Canadian democracy. The country reeks like fascism now. It has that third world ghetto look to it.
I mean, the division rests with bigoted liberals forcing their beliefs onto others.
As for my role in Canada, it is to oust the Liberals and end their undemocratic reign.