The province's attorney general, the chief justice of the Quebec court and several media organizations went before the Quebec Court of Appeal Monday to demand more information about a secret trial. Their lawyers argued separately that details must be made public regarding the trial, which has been criticized for being contrary to the fundamental principles of the country's justice system. The trial's existence only became public earlier this year because a police informant accused in the case appealed his or her conviction, and the appeals court issued a heavily redacted ruling critical of the lower court proceedings. Christian Leblanc, a lawyer for media organizations -- including The Canadian Press -- told the Court of Appeal that legal proceedings must be conducted in public to ensure the public's confidence in the justice system. He said that while an informant's identity needs to be protected, the question becomes where to draw the line regarding what details remain confidential. "The very confidence of the public in its legal system depends on the fact that justice is being rendered publicly. That's the whole philosophy, and I think it's the best one. If judgements are rendered publicly, you are not imagining that it's not well-rendered," Leblanc said outside the courtroom. Canada's Supreme Court has already ruled in numerous cases that gag orders must be the exception rather than the rule during trials. In fact, Supreme Court Justice Richard Wagner told Le Devoir recently that he saw this case as an obstacle to the fundamental principle that court cases must be publicized, and that hiding facts doesn't help the justice system. Quebec's justice minister also demanded answers as to why this case was allowed to proceed in private. The chief justice of the Quebec court, Lucie Rondeau, asked to be present in the judicial debate regarding the case. She said she was never made aware of it, even though it happened under her jurisdiction. The Court of Appeal justices will deliberate before rendering a decision. Most details in the original case are being kept from the public, including the nature of the alleged crime and where it allegedly took place, the name of the police force involved and the names of the lawyers. As well, the original case had no official docket number. The three judges on the Court of Appeal panel said they would issue a ruling on the media's request to see the details in the case at a later date. -- This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2022.
