C-9An Act to amend the Judges Act
Government bill, introduced in the House of Commons on December 16, 2021
- Status
- Became law on June 22, 2023 · S.C. 2023, c. 18
What it does
Replaces the process for reviewing federally appointed judges’ conduct and changes how removal recommendations are made.
What it does
- Replaces the Canadian Judicial Council process for reviewing the conduct of federally appointed judges.
- Creates a new process for allegations of misconduct that are not serious enough to justify removing a judge from office.
- Changes how recommendations to remove a judge from office can be made to the Minister of Justice.
- Applies the same new process to other people appointed under an Act of Parliament to hold office during good behaviour.
Who it affects
- Federally appointed judges
- Canadian Judicial Council
- Minister of Justice
- Other federal office holders
Background
The bill amends the Judges Act and replaces the process used by the Canadian Judicial Council to review the conduct of federally appointed judges.
Where it is
House of Commons
First reading
Completed.
Second reading
Completed.
Committee
Completed.
Report stage
Completed.
Third reading
Completed.
Senate
First reading
Completed.
Second reading
Completed.
Committee
Completed.
Report stage
Completed.
Third reading
Completed.
Royal assent
Royal assent
Completed.
Introduced by a cabinet minister on behalf of the government. Government bills get set time for debate, so they are the most likely to become law. How a bill becomes law
How the House voted
Party breakdown for vote 206 Party Position Yea Nay Did not vote Liberal Yea 154 0 4 Conservative Yea 115 0 3 Bloc Yea 31 0 1 NDP Yea 23 0 2 Green Yea 2 0 0 Independent Yea 2 0 0 Total 327 0 Party breakdown for vote 201 Party Position Yea Nay Did not vote Liberal Yea 149 0 9 Conservative Nay 0 111 7 Bloc Nay 0 30 2 NDP Yea 24 0 1 Green Split evenly 1 1 0 Independent Nay 0 2 0 Total 174 144
What MPs said
Each party’s first speech on this bill in the House, from Hansard. Excerpts are the speaker’s opening sentences, unedited.
LiberalGary Anandasangaree· June 16, 2022
“I am pleased to rise to Bill C-9, an act to amend the Judges Act. I want to acknowledge that I am speaking today on the traditional unceded lands of the Algonquin people.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caConservativeRob Moore· June 16, 2022
“On the topic at hand, we are here today to discuss Bill C-9, an act to amend the Judges Act. I will begin by going over a bit of a summary of the bill.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caBlocRhéal Fortin· June 16, 2022
“In this respect, Bill C-9 meets our expectations and should receive our support, as well as that of all Canadians. I am happy about this and even hopeful that we will now tackle the other key process, judicial appointments.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caNDPRandall Garrison· June 16, 2022
“I will turn to the substance of Bill C-9 in a moment, but first I want to talk about how we got here, a process that for me illustrates disarray on the government's side in this 44th Parliament. Some days it still seems almost as if the Liberals really did not expect to have to govern after the last election.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.caGreenElizabeth May· June 16, 2022
“I want to talk about Bill C-9, which would reform the Canadian Judicial Council.”
Read the full speech on openparliament.ca
Read the source
LEGISinfo status: Royal assent received. Bill data from LEGISinfo, votes from openparliament.ca and the House of Commons. Last updated October 13, 2026.