Has the Liberal disease now tainted judicial appointments even in Alberta?

From today's Edmonton Sun:

Lawyer donated to Grits before judicial posting
By KATHLEEN HARRIS, SUN OTTAWA BUREAU

A Liberal-friendly lawyer who was called to the bench six months after helping run the Grit Alberta campaign also pitched in financially to the party.

John Gill, who served as co-chair of the 2004 federal campaign, was appointed judge of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta in January.

Elections Canada records show he made donations to the Liberals in the last few years, including $763 in 1998, $828 in 2000 and $340 in 2003.

Gill's former law firm, Edmonton-based McCuaig Des-rochers, also gave thousands of dollars in donations to the Liberals, records show.

The NDP has raised concerns about the appointment on the heels of high-profile work on the federal campaign, but Gill declined to respond to the concerns.

"I can't comment," he told Sun Media.

"Sorry, I can't talk about it.

"That's part of the job - you don't talk about things. I've got nothing to say about it, basically."

Allegations of political interference in the judiciary have been swirling after Benoit Corbeil, a former president of the Liberal party's Quebec wing, suggested several lawyers who volunteered their services in the 2000 campaign were named judges in return.

In the Commons yesterday, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper demanded an investigation in the wake of revelations the Liberal party had "corrupted the system of nominating, vetting and appointing judges."

Susan McGrath, president of the Canadian Bar Association, said the majority of candidates called to the bench are exceptional. But she said the process could be made more credible if the government selected names only from the pool deemed "highly recommended" by the independent advisory committee.