In a scathing decision, a Federal Court of Canada judge has chastised the country’s Prime Minister and Justice Minister for having “failed” Canadians and the justice system by not filling the “significant and unacceptably large” number of vacancies on the country’s superior courts.

“With the greatest respect, the Court finds the Prime Minister and Minister of Justice are simply treading water,” wrote Justice Henry Brown in the decision, which has hit a nerve with lawyers across the country.