Maintaining a Just and Democratic Society?

Yesterday, Chantal Châtelain, the lawyer representing the Conference of Quebec Judges, told the inquiry that the probe into allegations of influence peddling in the nomination of judges may have caused irreparable harm to the courts that the commission has a duty to restore.

Quebec judges are worried that the public’s confidence in the justice system has been seriously shaken by testimony before the Bastarache commission, demanding that the inquiry set the record straight about the integrity of the province’s courts.

Ms. Châtelain said, "it is also important to grasp the full extent of the competence of the judges because it gives you an illustration of their contribution to maintaining a just and democratic society."

Well from my perspective, we don't live in a just and democratic society.

Where's the justice when the majority of votes cast in an election don't have any effect on the outcome of how the seats will be distributed in the National Assembly?

Where's the democracy when a single political party is allowed to govern as if it had a majority and in reality it is only able to garner the support of less than one in four registered voters?

Before a just and democratic society can be maintained, it first must be attained!

Essentially, the question we have put before the Courts will allow the judiciary to assume its proper role as the guardian of justice and democracy by striking down the key provisions of an electoral system that turns government into a patronage machine.

Here in Quebec, the appointment of judges is no different in kind than other government appointments and the distribution of government contracts based on demonstrated loyalty, in other words, financial contributions to a political party. The whole political system is just an elaborate quid pro quo.

So, enough of the feigned discomfort of having the honor of the profession called into question, do the right thing and force this government to transform Quebec into a democracy.