Alberta's judge shortage at 'crisis' level but feds have no timeline for resolution

Canada's justice minister says she's aware of the growing shortage of federally appointed judges in Alberta that has been deemed a "crisis," but could offer no immediate timelines on how to address it.

"We are working as quickly as we can to ensure that we make substantive appointments and we get it right," Jody Wilson-Raybould said Tuesday in response to concerns being raised with increasing urgency by Neil Wittmann, chief justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta.

• Alberta judge shortage at 'breaking point,' causing trial delays

Wittmann told CBC News last October that the province'scourts are "literally at the breaking point right now," due to the shortage of available justices, and in January he released a report detailing how existing judicial staff are working "well beyond capacity."

The chief justice said the system is so backlogged that some alleged criminals could end up walking free.

"There is now a real risk that extended lead times in criminal cases will result in juridical stays of criminal prosecutions," he wrote in the report, which describes the current situation as a "crisis."

Jody Wilson-Raybould on nominating judges in Alberta

8 years ago

Duration 1:15

Canada's justice minister says she's aware of the growing shortage of federally appointed judges in Alberta that has been deemed a "crisis," but could offer no immediate timelines on how to address it.

In an interview Tuesday,Wittmann said the backlog of cases is already leading to extreme delays.

"For example, in Calgary, if you want a half a day in front of a judge, we're now booking into December 2016," he said.

"In Wetaskiwin,it's February 2017. In Red Deer,it's January 2017 that's just for half a day of a judge's time."

Wilson-Raybouldsaid she spoke with Wittmannlast weekand he impressedupon her the "urgency" of the situation.

But, when pressed by reporters Tuesday,the justice minister could not say exactly how or when the problem would be solved.

Alberta in need of judges for years

Alberta has the fewest federally appointedjudges per capitain the country andthe shortage has only become worse as the province's population continues to grow.

Alberta would need up to an additional 13 new judicial positions in order to match the equivalent level of superior-court judges in British Columbia, Wittmann said in his January report.

He also notedin the report thata request in 2008 for four additional judges ended up only yielding two six years laterbecause of foot dragging by the Alberta Government followed by a decision inthe federalbudget of 2014 that would only allow for half of the requested salaries.

The court's 2008request for additional judgeswas the first since 1996 andrepresented "the minimum required to sustain an acceptable level of service to Albertans," Wittmann wrote.