Is Number of Women Appointed as Judges Dwindling?

The Globe and Mail’s Kirk Makin reported over the weekend that Appointments of female judges slump under Harper's Tories:

"Only eight women have been appointed to the federal judiciary this year, compared to 41 men. Figures for 2010 were only slightly less skewed, with 13 women and 37 men being given judgeships."

"The discrepancy is likely to rekindle calls for reform to an opaque process that provides the government with considerable leeway to choose candidates for undisclosed reasons."

A spokesperson for Justice Canada explained that the overall record is somewhat better, with 30 per cent of the 420 judges appointed by the federal government since 2006 being women.

Judges appointed by the federal government include judges of superior and appellate courts, the Federal Court of Canada, Tax Court and the Supreme Court of Canada.