(OTTAWA) The Chief Justice of Canada has said those working in the justice system must continue to build on the innovations put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Posted yesterday at 8:12 p.m.
Richard Wagner stressed that “there is no turning back” now that the pandemic has forced the justice system to modernize.
“I believe that the excellence of our judicial system, whether criminal or civil, will depend on an increased use of technology,” said Mr. Wagner, citing specifically the technology that allows the virtual presence of parties and attorneys involved.
Since the 1980s, the Supreme Court has had technology allowing lawyers to argue cases remotely without having to travel to Ottawa, he said.
Lawyers, rightly or wrongly, have not chosen to use it except for a few cases over the years, Wagner said, adding that other courts across the country don’t have this technology. .
“They have to use it for the future. That’s for sure,” he added.
Wagner told the Canadian Bar Association’s annual meeting on Monday that courts across the country have “spared no effort” to adapt to the unprecedented challenge of the public health crisis. .
Many courts across the country have allowed participants and observers to join proceedings by videoconference during the pandemic.
Modernizing the system is not only about minimizing the disruption caused by the pandemic, Wagner stressed, but it is also about applying these changes “in a targeted way” so that justice becomes accessible to all. .
Mr. Wagner spoke to the association before it voted on and adopted several resolutions aimed at making the justice system more modern, more accessible and fairer for people in Canada.
Association members voted to urge dispute resolution bodies to permanently implement remote procedures where appropriate, and to create a working group with justice system partners to explore issues that might lend themselves to remote proceedings.
Participants voted to ask justice system stakeholders to consider innovative approaches to help low- and middle-income Canadians access civil legal services, in an effort to address the “access to justice crisis” .
Members also voted to call on all levels of Canadian government to address the growing overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in Canadian prisons.
The adopted resolution calls on each level of government to negotiate action with Indigenous groups within two years. The action plan would provide well-funded preventative community services and alternatives to incarceration for Indigenous peoples.
This article was produced with the financial support of the Facebook and The Canadian Press News Fellowships.