Whoops!

Stephen Harper takes a shot at the courts and the Conservatives dip in the polls. Coincidence? Maybe. But keep in mind the very high regard Canadians have for their courts, particularly the Supreme Court, to many a treasured institution. Canadians have a vastly greater respect for the people who sit on the Court than they do for the people who fill the benches in the House of Commons. They know that judges are well-qualified professionals, the Supremes the most qualified of all, the Wayne Gretzkys of the judicial world, whereas MPs are, well, sort of hit and miss. Perhaps Harper offered his views without realizing this, his confidence over the possibility of a majority government leading him to speak more frankly than might be wise during an election campaign.

Worse, his remarks were gratuitous. Our Supreme Court, unlike our neighbour's, is impressively non-partisan and balanced. A court of nine with four women, one of them Chief Justice, is a balance that is the envy of the world. Yes, most were appointed by a Liberal government, but the political affiliations of the judges are virtually unknown, a singular feat of selection.

A democracy is no place for sacred cows, but some institutions, by the integrity of their people, simply demand the highest respect. Parliament, sadly, is not such an institution. The Supreme Court is. Politicians demean it at their peril.