By Nia Williams
CALGARY, Alberta, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Supreme Court of Canada
Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin brushed off criticism on
Thursday that her court, which has clashed with Prime Minister
Stephen Harper, has been too activist.
McLachlin, the court's longest-serving chief justice, has
presided over numerous decisions that reversed Parliament's
decisions, and made landmark rulings on prostitution and
physician-assisted suicide that were opposed by the ruling
Conservatives.
In response to a question as to whether her court is
improperly activist, she said: "We try to answer the questions
put before us in accordance with the constitution and the law. I
leave the labels to other people."
Harper's Conservative government has also found itself at
the losing end of decisions on mandatory minimum sentences and
Senate reform. Last year, the court rejected one of Harper's
picks to fill a Supreme Court vacancy.
While Harper's critics charge that he has been dismissive of
the rule of law and the constitution, some social conservatives
have argued McLachlin has gone to far in extending
constitutional rights.
The National Post ran a headline in May dubbing her
"unofficial leader of the opposition."
Asked by a reporter how she felt about that title, she said:
"My feelings are irrelevant, but descriptions of various sorts
as to how institutions are perceived or function, one can expect
this, so it's par for the course."
McLachlin, 71, was speaking at a rare press conference,
during a Canadian Bar Association conference. She said she
welcomed robust debate on the role of the court, but declared:
"I'm not a politician, I'm a judge."
(Writing by Randall Palmer; Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson and
David Gregorio)