The UCP's Law-and-Order Tantrum: Starving the Courts Lets Criminals Walk

Medicine Hat, AB – So the United Conservative Party wants to be tough on crime, but only when they're not busy throwing a tantrum with the federal government. Brooks-Medicine Hat MLA Premier Danielle Smith sent the following letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney wanting more input in the judge selection process as well as wanting the requirement for federal judges to be proficient in both official languages dropped (actually, she only want the French requirement dropped), stating

”The decision to impose functional bilingualism as a requirement for Supreme Court of Canada judges further entrenches systemic barriers and alienation for Western Canadians and does not reflect Canada’s broader linguistic diversity, including the many Canadians who are bilingual in other languages. “

Here's a little story for you.

PART 1: The "Castle" and the Crumbling Courthouse

First, this government made it easier for you to defend your home with "Premises Defence" laws, the kind some folks call "castle doctrine." Stand your ground, protect what's yours. They bill themselves as the party of "law and order," right?

Owl News File Photo

Now, they're picking a fight with Ottawa over who gets to pick judges. Premier Danielle Smith says she won't pay for new judges or their support staff—things like court clerks, sheriffs, and even the office furniture—unless Ottawa lets Alberta's government have a big say in choosing them . She wants judges to "reflect the values and expectations of Albertans" and has even said she wishes she could "direct" them.

Think about that. 

The party that loves law and order so much is willing to starve the court system of money in a political power play.

A defence lawyer put it simply: if she follows through, the justice system could "implode" .

PART 2: The "Jordan" Rule and Real Criminals Who Walked

What does "implode" look like? It looks like something called a "Jordan application".

Back in 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada got fed up with endless trial delays. They set a hard deadline: 18 months for a provincial trial, 30 months for a more serious one. If the government drags its feet for longer, the charges get thrown out. It's called a stay of proceedings, and the accused walks free. 

No Verdict

No Punishment

Why? Because letting someone twist in the wind for years without a trial is just as unfair as letting a guilty person go. It harms the victim, the accused, and everyone's faith in the system.

Here's the kicker: it happens.

A lot

After that 2016 ruling, nearly 800 criminal cases across Canada were tossed because they took too long.

We're not just talking about stolen bicycles.

There are real cases: a man in B.C. charged with sexually assaulting his daughter had his case stayed after a two-year delay. Imagine being that victim, waiting for justice, only to be told the clock ran out.

Now, Premier Smith's plan to withhold court funding? That's a surefire recipe to make these delays even worse. More judgeships sitting empty, more overworked staff, more trials pushed back. It's like setting a timer on a bomb and then cutting the wires to the bomb squad.

PART 3: Picking Judges and Picking Sides

Why is she doing this? She says she wants judges who think like Alberta. Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser shot back, saying judges must be independent and free from "political threats" over their budget. He said keeping politics out of the courts is "a hallmark of democracy".

Even Alberta's own top judges felt the need to issue a rare public statement, reminding everyone that a democracy needs its courts to be independent from the government.

And who does Premier Smith pal around with while picking this fight? Separatist groups who want to break up Canada. Their star lawyer is a guy named Jeff Rath. You can look him up on the Law Society of Alberta's website. He's got multiple entries for disciplinary hearings. In one case, he was reprimanded and ordered to pay costs.

You don’t have to believe us, google it yourself. The Law Society of Alberta decisions are publicly available documents.

The Law Society doesn't do that for getting a parking ticket; they do it for serious professional misconduct. This is the company the Premier keeps while she demands to reshape our courts.

PART 4: From High River to Your Doorstep

Speaking of company, remember how our Premier got here? She's from High River but when she needed a seat in the legislature, she didn't run in a vacant riding. She "parachuted" into Brooks-Medicine Hat, a safe seat, because the local MLA fell on her sword. Some folks in Calgary-Elbow were left without a local representative for months because she chose not to call a byelection there but the MLA who vacated her spot got a well-paid job with the Premier’s office.

It's a pattern. Do what's politically convenient, not what's right. Ignore conventions, pick safe fights, and cozy up to extreme voices.

So, what are we left with? A government that passed laws telling you to stand firm on your property, while they're actively weakening the very justice system that's supposed to decide if you went too far. They're so focused on a political scrap with Ottawa and picking the "right" kind of judges that they're willing to let the courthouse doors get jammed shut.

The next time you hear a UCP MLA talk about being tough on crime, ask them this: 

Are you tough enough to pay the court staff? 

Are you tough enough to make sure a murder trial happens before the Supreme Court's deadline runs out? 

Or is your "law and order" just for show, and the real priority is winning a political pissing match?

Because in this game they're playing, the losers won't be politicians in Ottawa. The losers will be victims waiting for justice.