OTTAWA – Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner says it’s “very difficult” to be a judge in Canada, that the job doesn’t pay enough in some provinces and that conditions are “deteriorating” for magistrates across the country. During an annual press conference with reporters Monday, Wagner called on provincial governments to increase the resources available to judges to help make the job more attractive to potential candidates and easier for current justices. That could include a raise, particularly in provinces where cost-of-living concerns are hitting hardest, he suggested.
Wagner is also head of the Canadian Judicial Council (CJC), which represents federally appointed judges. “I’m told by some chief justices in the country, specifically in provinces where the cost of living is higher like B.C.
and Ontario, that they have a hard time to attract candidates for the bench,” Wagner said. Federally appointed judges’ salaries are set by the Judges Act and receive a cost of living boost yearly. Currently, Superior Court, provincial Court of Appeal, Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal judges make $396,700 annually, while their chief justices earn $435,000.
Judges who live in northern territory receive an additional $12,000 allowance. Supreme Court justices earn $472,400 yearly, while Chief Justice Wagner makes $510,000. Wagner said that judges’ wages and salary are one issue, but that working conditions for sitting justices are “very difficult” .
