People seeking out provincial judicial positions might soon need to agree to doing sexual assault law and social context training.
The Province of Manitoba says most sexual assault cases are addressed in provincial courts.
Since May all judicial candidates looking for a federal appointment were required to undergo training in sexual assault law and social context. This bill also required judges to share their reasons for decisions in sexual assault cases. Justice Minister Cameron Friesen says he is proposing to have provincial judicial candidates have the same training.
"This bill follows a similar approach and supports education opportunities in the area of sexual assault law and social context for judges," the minister says in a Tuesday statement.
The bill, if passed, would also let the chief judge establish seminars on sexual assault law and social context.
“This bill also makes improvements to Manitoba’s selection process for judges of the provincial court to better align with best practice in other jurisdictions and to enhance accountability by assuring the full number of judicial applicants receive consideration."
Friesen says this would strengthen accountability in the judicial selection process. Currently, the minister would choose one name from a list of screened and recommend three to six candidates. He is asking for the committee to provide an evaluation and brief description for each candidate.