Stephen Horsman, David Smith meet over contentious Liberal bill

Court of Queen's Bench Chief Justice David Smith and officials with the Department of Justice met this week to discuss contentious changes that could curb judicial powers to move judges to different courts.

Michael Bray, aformer court administrator and adviser to Smith, said the chief justice and Justice Minister Stephen Horsman met Monday, along with two other officials from the justice department.

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Braytells CBC the government representatives asked the chief justice not to talk about the substance of their discussions until they can formulate a response.

Smith has said he was surprised and concerned last month to learn of a provincial government bill that would give the justice minister a veto over his decisions about where judges live and work.

Smith said that threatened the independence of the court and he should have been consulted.

Opposition politicians suggested the underlying reason for the bill was political patronage.

Horsman said the Liberal government respects judicial independence and merely wants a role in ensuring the courts work smoothly.