Two Supreme Court judges stepping down

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper will soon be able to appoint two new justices to the country’s top court.

Two members of the Supreme Court of Canada, Justice Ian Binnie and Justice Louise Charron, have both announced they plan to retire by Aug. 30.

"The departure of Justices Binnie and Charron will leave an important void on the court," said Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin in a statement.

"Both have served the court with great wisdom and dedication and have made significant and lasting contributions to the administration of justice in Canada. They are valued colleagues and friends. We will miss them."

Harper has already appointed two members to the bench and is expected to have other vacancies to fill in the near future at the top court, where the mandatory retirement age is 75.

Binnie, 72, has served on the Supreme Court since 1998.

"Much as I will miss the work and my colleagues, I am now well into my 14th year on the court and the time has come to return to Toronto to pick up some of the threads of an earlier existence," he said.

"I deeply appreciate the opportunities given to me to participate in the administration of justice in so many different capacities over more than 44 years, and I thank those who from time to time made it possible."

Charron, 60, said she felt it was the right time to retire.

"My husband and I both enjoy good health," she said. "We have a great family and wonderful friends. I have been a judge for 23 years now and the seventh anniversary of my appointment to the court, Aug. 30 next, seems like the perfect time to move on."

During the election campaign, Harper pledged to nominate candidates to the top court with "strong, independent legal minds," who would be selected following wide-ranging consultations with the public and the legal community.

"We do some analysis of decisions, but overall what you’re looking for is record, experience, judgment, judicial temperament," Harper said last month. "These people sit on the bench a long time. We will choose very carefully."

McLachlin also said she was "certain" the government would "give priority consideration to the appointment of two new justices of the Supreme Court with all the care and deliberation that is required in the circumstances."