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Next Supreme Court chief justice should be a Quebecer: Montreal bar

Supreme Court Judge Beverley McLachlin will be stepping down in December.
Supreme Court Judge Beverley McLachlin will be stepping down in December. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The Montreal bar is calling on tradition to be respected and for the next chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada to be a Quebecer.

Bar president Brian Mitchell says the law society sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau late last month in which it outlined its position.

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READ MORE: Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin to retire from Supreme Court

Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin announced last month she will step down in December.

McLachlin was the first woman appointed to the position and set a new longevity record by holding the job for nearly 18 years.

FULL COVERAGE: Supreme Court of Canada 

The letter from the bar states that according to tradition, the position of chief justice is assigned alternately between judges who come from a civil law background in Quebec and common law background elsewhere in the country.

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The bar wrote that it’s also important to alternate between French and English chief justices.

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