Lawyers Who Challenged Canadian Gov’t Now Fight For Pay

Two Canadian lawyers who opposed the appointment of a judge to that country’s Supreme Court – an appointment that was ultimately scuttled under controversy – are fighting to be paid for their efforts. In 2013, then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Justice Marc Nadon to the Supreme Court of Canada, but attorneys Rocco Galati and Paul Slansky mounted a legal opposition, saying Nadon could not fill one of the three high-court seats reserved for Quebec. The challenge was placed on hold when the government referred the issue to the Supreme Court, which then negated Nadon’s appointment. Galati asked for $51,706 for his work, and Slansky asked for $16,769 for his contributions. Instead, a federal court awarded the lawyers a total of $5,000 to be split between them.