NEWSLETTER – SPRING 2024
This past quarter, the Action Committee on Modernizing Court Operations published three guidance documents and began planning its work for the year ahead.
To subscribe to our quarterly newsletters, please write to AC-secretariat-CA@fja-cmf.gc.ca and indicate “Sign me up” in the subject line.
ACTION COMMITTEE NEWS
The Action Committee approved its fourth annual Progress Report, which outlines its activities and achievements for 2023-2024. This was a significant year, as the Action Committee finalized its transition away from responding to court-related challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and towards a mandate focusing on forward-looking modernization. The Progress Report will be published and circulated shortly in a special newsletter edition.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
- Indigenous Practices in the Courts: Understanding, incorporating, and honouring Indigenous practices in the courts can help to advance reconciliation. This publication captures guiding considerations, lessons, and concrete examples from consultations with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous judges, court administrators, Indigenous Courtworkers, Indigenous justice organizations and other justice actors about incorporating Indigenous practices meaningfully and respectfully in the existing court system.
- Designing User-Centred Court Websites: A user-friendly website can improve access to justice by providing clear and accessible information on how legal needs can be addressed; what to expect if participating in a court process as a litigant or witness; and when, where, and how a matter will be heard. This tip sheet outlines orienting principles and key considerations in preparing for, designing, testing, launching, and maintaining a user-friendly court website. It includes concrete examples and lessons learned from Canadian courts who have redesigned their websites with users in mind.
- UserCentred Justice – Some Canadian Examples: To achieve equitable access to justice for litigants, victims, and witnesses, the needs and perspective of these court users should guide modernization efforts and day-to-day service delivery. Building on the Action Committee’s guidance on Understanding User-Centred Justice, this non-exhaustive repository provides concrete examples of user-centred initiatives from across the country.
WHO WE ARE
The Action Committee on Modernizing Court Operations is a national leadership body that supports Canada’s courts in their modernization efforts. The Committee provides non-prescriptive, practical guidance for addressing challenges, and highlights opportunities and innovative practices to modernize court operations and improve access to justice for court users at all levels of Canadian courts, in all types of court matters. It also identifies areas of further study that may interest policymakers, academics, and training providers in the field of court operations.
The Action Committee is co-chaired by the Chief Justice of Canada, the Right Honourable Richard Wagner, and the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Honourable Arif Virani. Its members include senior representatives of the judiciary and ministries responsible for Justice from various Canadian jurisdictions. The Committee is supported by an Indigenous Advisory Group to enrich the Action Committee’s work by ensuring that Indigenous perspectives are accurately reflected, and a Technical Working Group to ensure that national perspectives are reflected.
The Action Committee welcomes feedback, and relies upon collaborative information sharing, to inform its work on relevant topics. Contact us at AC-secretariat-CA@fja-cmf.gc.ca.
- Date modified: