Quebec justice minister vows no more shadow trials as feds express concern

The Legault government is pledging there will be no more shadow trials in Quebec.

Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette said Thursday he has had discussions with “all those involved” to ensure that kind of procedure never occurs in secrecy again.

“I have had discussions with the Superior Court and the Court of Quebec, and everyone is unanimous on this point: this should not happen in Quebec and it will not happen again.”

Jolin-Barrette’s comments come after a recent incident created controversy in the province. A criminal trial involving a police informant took place entirely in secret and was kept off the official court docket, as was first reported by La Presse.

The identity of the judge, the parties and even the date and place where it took place were also kept secret.

The existence of the trial only became public because the police informant accused in the case appealed his or her conviction, and the appeals court issued a heavily redacted ruling in late February critical of the lower court proceedings.

Federal Justice Minister David Lametti says reports that a criminal trial was held entirely in secret and kept off the official court docket are deeply troubling.

Lametti is the latest to raise concerns over the so-called “shadow trial.” He said Wednesday in an email that the principle of open court is the “bedrock” of Canada’s justice system.

Quebec’s justice minister has said that Quebec Crown prosecutors were not involved in the case.

The Public Prosecution Service of Canada said in a statement Thursday it does not initiate prosecutions in secret and does not conduct secret trials, even when informants are involved. It adds that in some cases and based on the application of legal rules, identifying information about a trial is not disclosed publicly.

— with files from Global News’ Kalina Laframboise

by The Canadian Press