As the final court of appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada serves Canadians by leading the development of common and civil law through its decisions on questions of public importance. Under Canadian law the Governor General appoints all justices of the court, though by the constitution the Prime Minister alone appoints all justices of the court. The Prime Minister's choice for a justice does not require the approval of anyone else and is not subject to review. The term as a justice of the Supreme Court is until he or she retires or, at latest, attains the age of seventy-five years. In recent years however, the Supreme Court's method of appointment of the a justice and their length of term, has caused a lot of controversy in the country. The Prime Minister is indeed very capable of appointing an honourable justice. However, as we live in a democratic nation, the justice should undergo public scruntity before a decision is made solely by the Prime Minister. As Madame Justice Beverly McLachlin said, "the law is the preserve of the people of Canada" , and therefore the public deserves to be included in the decision. Futhermore, a justice's term should be for a maximum of ten years as this leaves opportunites for other judges, opportunities for the introduction of new laws, and ensures a postive and healthy morale within the Court. .
The justices in the Supreme Court of Canada are by the constitution, appointed by the Prime Minister. This method of appointing should be changed to include the people of Canada as the justices that are being chosen are of the most powerful people in the country as they deal with very important issues in Canadian society and the public deserves to know just who these candidates are. In connection, Publisher and Chief Executive Officer Phillip Crawley suggested that, "there should be a parliamentary hearing at which the candidate for the job should say a few words about what he or she thinks of the law, about the relationship of the courts to the legislators, and- in more than a beauty contest, how I would improve the world kind of way- judgement on some of the toughest, more intractable issues Canadians must wrestle with.
