OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he intends to appoint judges who will advance his Conservative government's law-and-order objectives.
Harper has been under opposition fire for recent changes to the judicial-selection process that opponents say is designed to stack the courts with right-wing judges.
The prime minister matter-of-factly conceded Wednesday that he hopes to tilt the scales of justice in favour of his government's agenda.
“We're bringing forward laws to make sure that we crack down on crime — that we make our streets and communities safer,” he told the House of Commons.
“We want to make sure our selection of judges is in correspondence with those objectives.”
In the last election, the Liberals argued that a Harper government would try stacking the courts to overturn laws he doesn't like.
The opposition expressed outrage at the prime minister's comments Wednesday and said he is threatening the independence of the judicial system.
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