Quebec’s justice minister tightens the rules on judges engaging in inappropriate behaviour

Quebec Government House Leader and Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette at the legislature in Quebec City, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)

Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette is cracking down on judges who engage in inappropriate behaviour by giving the Conseil de la magistrature greater powers to intervene.

Bill 25, tabled Wednesday at the National Assembly, creates a series of new sanctions for judges who are the subject of a complaint.

A judge found at fault could, for example, be suspended for a maximum of six months without pay.

The Conseil de la magistrature will also be able to order a judge to undergo training or therapy.

“The Conseil de la magistrature will have more room to manoeuvre. It will now be able, when a disciplinary offence is recognized, to determine whether apologies have been made and whether steps have been taken by the judge to correct the fault, and if so, whether those measures are sufficient,” Jolin-Barrette explained at a news conference on Wednesday.

Before the bill, only two sanctions were possible: a reprimand or dismissal.

Last week, the French-language investigative news program J.E. reported examples of several judges whose behaviour ran contrary to their code of ethics.

A complaint can even be filed against a judge who has left their position or retired within the past three years.

The council will also be required to justify and publish its decisions on complaints on its website within 10 days.

Jolin-Barrette said he was “ready to pass the bill quickly.”

“It’s up to the opposition,” he added.

‘Extremely confident’

The minister also placed responsibility for the National Assembly’s heavy legislative agenda on the opposition parties, with elections fast approaching.

“We are here to work in Parliament until June 12. So I think we are working seriously — we are spending dozens, even hundreds of hours in parliamentary committee,” the minister said.

Pressure is also mounting on Jolin-Barrette over his proposed Quebec Constitution.

On Tuesday, nearly 800 civil society groups called on the minister to withdraw the initiative outright.

“Is Simon Jolin-Barrette today, by tabling his bill on the reform of judicial ethics, not finally admitting to us that he is withdrawing his constitution bill?” asked Québec Solidaire MNA Guillaume Cliche-Rivard.

Despite everything, the justice minister assured that he was “extremely confident” that he would see his constitution passed.

- By Thomas Laberge

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 18, 2026.