About Judicial Council
The Provincial Court Act establishes the Judicial Council of British Columbia, made up of nine people from the public, lawyers and judges, with responsibility for improving the quality of services provided by the judicial officers of the Provincial Court.
One of Judicial Council's main functions is to advise the government on the appointment of Provincial Court judges and judicial justices.
Duties
Judicial Council's duties under the Provincial Court Act include:
Screening candidates applying for appointment as judges and judicial justices, and retired judges' applications for re-appointment
Conducting inquiries regarding the conduct of judges and judicial justices
Considering proposals for improving the Court’s judicial services
Continuing the education of judicial officers
Preparing and revising, in consultation with the judicial officers, a Code of Ethics for the judiciary
Reporting to the Attorney General on matters which the Attorney General considers necessary
Membership
Under the Provincial Court Act, Judicial Council consists of nine members:
The Chief Judge as presiding member
An Associate Chief Judge as alternate presiding member
Four members appointed by the Attorney General of BC
The president (or designate) of the Provincial Court Judges Association
The president (or designate) of the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association
The president (or designate) of the Law Society of BC
Procedure
Judicial Council's process is governed by a Procedure Bylaw adopted March 23, 2001 and updated December 17, 2021.
Applicants for appointment and diversity
Judicial Council encourages applications from candidates of diverse backgrounds for appointment as judicial officers. Its efforts to ensure that its application process is as transparent as possible were recognized as "a model of transparency" in a resolution passed by the Canadian Bar Association in August 2013. Read the Chief Judge’s August 3, 2012 letter to the President of the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch and the President of the Law Society of British Columbia, regarding Diversity in the Provincial Court of British Columbia.
Conduct and the Ethical Principles for Judges
To assist judges and judicial justices with difficult ethical and professional issues and to assist members of the public to better understand the judicial role, Judicial Council has adopted the Ethical Principles for Judges published by the Canadian Judicial Council in 2021, except for its commentary on “Post-Judicial Careers”.