The province has introduced proposed legislation that would make it mandatory for anyone applying to become a provincial court judge to successfully complete sexual assault law and social context issues education before being eligible to be appointed to the bench.
Bill 14 - the Provincial Court Amendment was introduced in the legislature on Wednesday.
During a press conference prior to the bill being tabled, Premier Jason Kenney said the legislation will help protect sexual assault victims and encourage more reporting of sex crimes.
“This bill will reduce the risk of victims of sexual violence from being re-victimized during the trial,” said Kenney. “It will also help to ensure that all people who come into the courtroom are treated respectfully and fairly. A courtroom must be a safe place for victims. It should never be a place where people are re-victimized or where they feel themselves that they are on trial.
“By making the justice system more responsive and better equipped to support survivors it could even encourage more reporting of sexual assaults so that offenders are held accountable for their actions and brought to justice.”
The sexual assault law and social context issues education training itself will be developed and provided by the National Judicial Institute and others.
While the requirement to complete the training does not apply to currently sitting provincial court judges, “they can take training on these matters through the continuing professional development and education programs available to them,” Kenney said.
Rona Ambrose, former member of Parliament and former leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, helped spearhead the development of the new Alberta legislation.
“I would say this is a milestone moment in the reform of one of our most important institutions, our justice system,” said Ambrose during the press conference. “Sexual assault survivors deserve to know that judges who oversee their cases are fully educated in sexual assault law and aren’t going to make mistakes and cause long-lasting damage and further trauma. I’m confident this will make a difference.”
She called on MLAs of all parties to vote in support of the legislation.
Whitney Issik is the associate minister of Status of Women.
“This bill is intended to help build confidence in our justice system by making sure that judicial applicants are educated not only on sexual assault, but more importantly on social context issues,” Issik said during the press conference.
“By providing a safer environment for victims and their families within our courtrooms, we will ensure that there will be more reporting of sexual assaults, which ultimately will lead to the prevention of sexual violence, and I think we can all agree that that is an important goal.”
Minister of Justice Tyler Shandro said the new legislation will support victims of sexual assault in their dealings with the court.
The sexual assault law and social context issues education training should get underway within the next six months, said Issik.
