Filibuster Cartoons
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Two big political appointments coming up in the near future — on both sides of the border.
Governor General Michaelle Jean says she plans to step down at the end of September, ruling out the possibility of a term extension. This means Prime Minister Harper will finally get a chance to appoint a new GG of his own choosing, only the second time in 43 years that a Conservative prime minister has had such an opportunity.
Meanwhile, the Gerald Ford-era Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has decided to retire in the States, and in doing so given President Obama his second vacancy appointment to the high court.
In both countries, the issue of minority representation — or should I say majority representation — is a bit of a sticky one. Three of the last five governor generals have been women, and the last two in particular have been non-white women to boot. In the US, the Supreme Court has become steadily dominated by Catholics and Jews over the years, to the point where Stevens’ retirement marks the departure of the only sitting justice who was a member of the country’s majority faith.
It’s kind of a dilemma because it seems a tad intensive to employ a sort of reverse affirmative action, and appoint a white male GG or Protestant Supreme Court justice to even out minority over-representation. Who wants to go on record as the leader who reversed the tide of minority success?
On the other hand, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that the symbolically highest institutions of our government should at least bear some passing resemblance to the majority of subjects they rule over.
