[JURIST] Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler [official profile] presented a nine-member advisory committee [committee profiles; CA DOJ press release] Monday with the names of six potential candidates for the Supreme Court of Canada [official website]. Unlike the US system where politicians publicly question Supreme Court nominees, the Canadian candidates' names remain confidential to all except the nine members of the panel. The panel has until November 18th to reduce the list from six names to three, from which the Justice Minister will pick the final judge. If the group feels that an important name has been left off the list, they can make suggestions to the Justice Minister to add another name. The seat of the retiring judge is typically filled from someone from the same geographic part of the country. Since retiring Justice John Major [official profile] was from Alberta, his seat will be filled by someone from the Prairies or Northern region. A final decision is expected before Major retires in December. The Canadian Department of Justice has background on the nomination process. Canada's Globe and Mail has local coverage.