Prosecutors in the province are being encouraged to offer early plea bargains. Nova Scotia’s top judge is asking criminal lawyers to expedite the plea bargain process in an attempt to meet Supreme Court of Canada demands for speedier trials. Chief Judge Pamela Williams has told lawyers to swiftly resolve ‘relatively straightforward matters’ and has raised the possibility that it could extend to more serious offences. A Supreme Court ruling last July set out a new framework declaring that a reasonable wait for trial is 18 months for provincial court cases and 30 months for cases before superior courts