HALIFAX — Nova Scotia's finance minister is defending a move that would strip an independent tribunal of the power to set salaries for provincial judges.
The Canadian Bar Association Nova Scotia says amendments included in the Financial Measures Act legislation tabled on Monday would "seriously erode" judicial independence.
Under the proposed change cabinet would be given the power to overrule salary recommendations made by the tribunal, which are currently binding.
Randy Delorey says the change would give the province the option to reject salary increases that it simply can't afford and in no way infringes on the independence of judges.
Delorey says Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories are the only jurisdictions in the country with binding recommendations on salaries.
The bar association says it wants the government to withdraw the changes and keep the current system, which it says has worked effectively for almost 20 years.
