Rolling up her sleeves

Commodore Geneviève Bernatchez
Judge Advocate General of Canada

The Lawyer's Daily has a smart, timely interview with Commodore Geneviève Bernatchez, the Canadian Judge Advocate General. Excerpt:

“What we are doing now is ensuring that moving forward we’ll be able to address, in a meaningful way, the reduction of delays,” Bernatchez pledged.

She also pointed to Bill C-77, that was introduced by the Trudeau government in the Commons last May, that will replace summary trials with summary hearings “so at the unit level, the commanding officer will be able to deal with minor disciplinary infractions much more rapidly,” she said. “All of those offences, that in the past would have been within the summary trial jurisdiction, will be taken away from the summary trial jurisdiction, so that it will unclog the system.”

Like other justice systems, the military justice system “has to evolve,” Bernatchez stressed. “And when we have reports like the auditor general’s report — that provides us with facts, that provides us with meaningful data, that provides us with analysis, that provides us with pragmatic and viable recommendations that are helpful. I welcome that.”