Prime Minister Justin Trudeau violated constitutional language protections when he appointed a unilingual anglophone lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick, but striking down the nomination would cause a constitutional crisis, a court ruled Thursday.
While the 2019 appointment of Brenda Murphy as lieutenant-governor of the officially bilingual province violated the rights of the province’s minority francophones, New Brunswick Court of Queen’s Bench Chief Justice Tracey K. DeWare wrote that it will be up to the federal government to decide what to do next.
“The court cannot issue a declaration which could undermine countless lawfully enacted pieces of legislation, appointments and decrees. Such a situation would create a legislative and constitutional crisis within the province of New Brunswick,” DeWare wrote, adding that she believes her ruling “is sufficient to ensure appropriate and prompt action on behalf of the government to rectify the situation.”
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