Under fire over the last couple of days after it surfaced that he appointed a longtime friend as a provincial court judge, Quebec Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette says he’s not only open to an ethics probe, but also to changing the rules for the future.
During a press conference on Sunday at the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) party convention, Jolin-Barrette said that if he were to do it again, he would disclose his conflict of interest to the Ministers Council, which he didn’t do when appointing his university friend Charles-Olivier Gosselin as a judge in early May.
This comes after Le Soleil newspaper reported Friday that Jolin-Barrette had been a guest at Gosselin’s wedding in 2015.
“I follow all the rules, and judicial nominations are not discussed at the cabinet,” he told reporters, insisting that the current regulation framework was respected. “But I’m always open to improving the process.”
There currently are no requirements for ministers to disclose any conflict of interests. He said he is prepared to amend the regulations to compel ministers to do so, “to make sure things are clear,” he added.
When asked about the issue on Saturday, Jolin-Barrette said he was aware the appointment would cause a stir, but admitted he didn’t warn the premier’s office or the cabinet.
This comes after a report surfaced revealing that Jolin-Barrette had been a guest at Charles-Olivier Gosselin’s wedding in 2015.
He said an independent committee analyzes the applications then submits a shortlist to the minister, who makes the final call before the cabinet confirms the appointment.
Gosselin, who has practiced law since 2011, currently works as a legal aid lawyer in Quebec City. He was one of the lawyers who represented convicted Quebec City mosque shooter Alexandre Bissonnette.
“This is my friend. I am minister of justice, I made a decision for which I take responsibility,” Jolin-Barrette said. “The person was selected according to his skills.”
Liberal justice critic André Albert Morin criticized Jolin-Barrette for acting in non-transparent manner.
“Although the process for appointing judges in Quebec is very rigorous, it is the minister himself who, ultimately, makes recommendations to the cabinet,” Morin said. “He should always be transparent and reveal to his colleagues if candidates are known to him and withdraw from the final selection session.”
The justice minister said he would fully collaborate with ethics commissioner Ariane Mignolet if an investigation into the situation is launched.
When asked about the controversy, Premier François Legault backed his minister and said it was up to the commissioner to decide to look into the case.
Jolin-Barrette not the only minister to appoint a longtime friend
Jolin-Barrette isn’t the only Quebec minister to admit they have recently appointed a close friend to a high-career position in the province.
On Saturday, Finance Minister Eric Girard admitted to reporters during the CAQ convention in Sherbrooke, Que., that he too had appointed someone he had a personal relationship with, Jean-François Blais, to the board of directors of Loto-Québec.
Just last week Blais was reappointed to the role.
Girard and Blais met in high school in Quebec City. Blais was first appointed to the board of Loto-Québec on the minister’s recommendation in 2019.
Unlike the justice minister though, Girard says he warned Premier Legault about the move. “I certainly said that this person, I knew him.”
Girard added that Blais was “exceptionally competent” and earned his job.
Defending his justice department colleague, Girard said the judicial appointment process was “very different” from that of Crown corporation board members.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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