The ceremony
in Ottawa to officially welcome Mr. Justice Malcolm Rowe to the Supreme Court
of Canada (SCC) was one of those pivotal moments in a country’s institutional
evolution when unanimity prevailed that the right choice had been made and for
the right reasons.
Justice Rowe
was appointed by the Prime Minister after an exhaustive screening process
headed by former Prime Minister Kim Campbell. It was the first time the process
had been used to assess the suitability of potential jurists to the country’s
highest court.
The vacancy occurred as a result of the retirement of Justice Thomas Cromwell
of Nova Scotia. Many, and not just those within the legal community, felt that
convention required that his replacement come from one of the Atlantic
Provinces. Residents of this province naturally felt that, after 67 years in
Confederation, it was time for a nomination from Newfoundland and Labrador.
