How the Three Commissioners Might Run the Mass Casualty Hearings

The Mass Casualty Commission is being lead by three Commissioners, who have very important duties to fulfill. They have been directing the preparation work for the proceedings, will preside over the proceedings once they begin, and will write a report (including recommendations) once the hearings are complete.

It is unusual for there to be three Commissioners appointed for an Inquiry. As I covered in a previous post, other recent Nova Scotia examples, such as the Desmond Inquiry, the Hyde Inquiry, and the Nunn Commission, have all had only one Commissioner. Only in the Marshall Inquiry has there been more than one, though in other jurisdictions, and federally, there are other examples.

Previous Commissioners, including current Desmond Inquiry Commissioner, Judge Zimmer, have been sitting trial-level judges, who are used to dealing with conflicting evidence and resolving factual disputes. With former Chief Justice MacDonald, Chief Fitch, and Dr. Stanton, we may not have that skill set or comfort level.