Quebec Justice Minister Faces Ethics Probe After Naming Friend to Provincial Court

Quebec Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette is facing an ethics investigation after appointing his friend as a provincial court judge.

Ethics commissioner Ariane Mignolet opened an investigation after receiving a complaint from the Liberal party regarding the nomination of Charles-Olivier Gosselin to Quebec court.

The probe was launched after Le Soleil newspaper reported that Jolin-Barrette had been a guest at Gosselin’s marriage in 2015.

Jolin-Barrette has admitted to not informing the premier or the cabinet that he and Gosselin were friends.

Liberal legislature member Monsef Derraji says he filed the complaint because the nomination raises ethical questions about the role that the justice minister played in the final phase of the appointment process.

The justice minister fills vacant judicial positions by choosing from a list of up to three names produced by an independent committee, then submits his or her choice to cabinet for approval—which is usually automatic.