David Smith says it was the most difficult case he ever heard in 26 years as a judge: the sentencing hearing for Moncton police killer Justin Bourque. Smith used a new federal law, passed in 2011, that allowed consecutive, rather than concurrent, sentences in cases involving multiple murders. Court of Queen's Bench Chief Justice David Smith presiding over the sentencing of Justin Bourque in 2014. (Andrew Robson for CBC)Smith was appointed to the bench in 1993 and was named chief justice of the Court of Queen's Bench five years later. During the public controversy, CBC News obtained correspondence that showed two of Smith's colleagues — then-New Brunswick Chief Justice Ernest Drapeau and fellow Court of Queen's Bench justice George Rideout — were at odds with him over the issue.

Source: CBC News March 25, 2019 08:31 UTC