Supreme Court of Canada Publishes 2019 Year in Review

The Supreme Court of Canada has published its Year in Review for 2019. It is an annual document describing the Court’s activities in the preceding year.

In the introduction, Canada's Chief Justice Richard Wagner writes:

"When I became Chief Justice just over two years ago, I committed to making the Court more open and understandable, and to enhancing access to justice for everyone. In 2019, the Court celebrated some important milestones and made meaningful progress toward these goals."

"In 2019, the Minister of Justice and I signed an Accord to formalize the Court’s relationship to the other branches of the Canadian state. It goes to the heart of our democracy and rule of law. It ensures the Court remains fully independent, and is seen to be independent. This safeguards justice for all Canadians."

"In September, the Court held hearings outside of Ottawa for the first time in history, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. During this visit, we spoke with Manitobans, answered their questions, and met with several communities recognized in our Constitution. Hundreds of local people got to see the Court in action, as we heard two appeals — one on the right to a trial in a reasonable time, and another on minority language education rights. I hope we can do this in other cities in the future."

"In 2019, the Court issued an important decision in the area of administrative law. The Court decided as a group that the time had come to bring clarity to this area of law, which affects virtually every part of people’s lives. The resulting decision is meant to make the law clearer and more predictable for everyone. This will have profound effects in the years to come."

"These accomplishments were all part of being more open and accessible. The annual Year in Review is also part of this. In this second edition, we’ve worked to provide more information in an even more engaging and approachable way. We encourage other courts and tribunals to think about ways that they can do this, too."