A court date has been set in the legal battle between Atlantic trial lawyers and Ottawa to ensure the East Coast keeps its traditional seat on the Supreme Court of Canada
Wagners Law Firm says the two sides are scheduled to be in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Oct. 5 to set a date for a hearing.
READ MORE: East Coast lawyers challenge Ottawa on changes to Supreme Court appointments
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said regional representation is important, but he won’t commit to ensuring the country’s top court has a judge from Atlantic Canada as he seeks other kinds of diversity.
The Atlantic Provinces Trial Lawyers Association says it is seeking an order from Nova Scotia Supreme Court that would require the federal government to amend the Constitution if it wants to drop regional representation as constitutional convention.
The association says such a change would require unanimous consent of the provinces.
READ MORE: Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell to retire
Justice Thomas Cromwell from Nova Scotia has retired from the bench, but Trudeau appears to be departing from the convention of automatically filling that place with another judge from the region.