March 21, 2011
Province Plans Legislation to Create Senior Judge Program
– – –Move Would Allow Weekend Bail Sittings
The Manitoba government plans to introduce changes to the Provincial Court Act this spring that would support the creation of a senior judge program, Premier Greg Selinger announced today.
“Senior judge programs make use of the services of retired judges to supplement existing judicial resources,” said Selinger. “A senior judge program would add capacity and flexibility to the judicial services the court can provide, and could support the court’s ability to be more accessible outside of traditional business hours.”
The ability of the court to draw upon senior judges would allow the provincial court to begin weekend bail sittings with judges.
“A senior judge program is a positive step towards increasing access to justice for all Manitobans. It will serve to provide the court with flexibility to target and diffuse potential backlogs in the system,” said provincial court Chief Judge Ken Champagne. “This new initiative will increase access to justice and promote public confidence in the administration of justice.”
Legislation will be drafted that would allow retired judges to return to the bench to serve as needed, said Selinger. Such programs allow the services of senior judges to be drawn upon to address a variety of circumstances including times when a sitting judge is on an extended leave such as a maternity or sick leave.
The provincial court is the main trial court for criminal matters in Manitoba. More than 95 per cent of all criminal cases in Manitoba are dealt with first at that level of court. Its judges handle bail hearings, preliminary hearings, trials involving youth, all trials of less serious offences and many trials of more serious offences where people choose a trial in the provincial court.
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