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Photo by Kevin King/Postmedia News

As cover goes, it’s pretty sparse — the dispute over Joyal dates back to the summer of 2017, long before Wilson-Raybould’s demotion. Besides, the prime minister himself has repeatedly said that only Scott Brison’s decision to exit political life was responsible for Wilson-Raybould leaving justice, a consequence of the ensuing cabinet shuffle. Establishing previous disagreements between the two does Trudeau no favours now.

But there is a more fundamental issue here — Joyal, the chief justice of Manitoba, has had his personal life dragged into a political controversy. That’s wildly inappropriate, and again, speaks to a fundamental lack of respect for the complicated and fragile norms that underpin this country’s commitment to the rule of law.

Canada can be a true democracy only if the courts are independent

Joyal applied to a senior judicial job, was considered, and someone else was chosen. He declared this week, after his name surfaced in media reports, that he ultimately chose to withdraw from consideration anyway, as his wife was battling cancer. This is obviously a violation of his personal rights to privacy, but also further politicizes our justice. The fact that the deliberations and debates over Joyal have been aired is not only an insult to him, but an incredibly chilling message to anyone else who might apply for senior judicial or government jobs. Are they assured of privacy even if leaking their personal details might aid a political party’s partisan cause — or even, possibly, merely a faction within a political party at war with itself? Are conclusions about their strengths and weaknesses, reached by politicians for political purposes, now to be aired for all to see, even if those conclusions are unfair or even inaccurate?

The SNC-Lavalin affair has done more than reveal bitter divisions within Liberal ranks. It has now offered Canadians two clear warnings that the Liberal commitment to the rule of law may be, at best, conditional. The seriousness of this cannot be overstated.