Progress Report of the Action Committee on Modernizing Court Operations

The Action Committee on Modernizing Court Operations has just published its 2022-2023 Progress Report.

The Committee is a national leadership body 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.

It was initially established in May 2020 as the Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19.

Its role is to facilitate information sharing about innovative practices to modernize court operations and improve access to justice for court users.

From the introduction:

"(...) While the health and well-being of all court users remained one of its bedrock considerations, the Action Committee gradually shifted its focus to addressing the legacies of the pandemic, including the use of technology in the courts and strategies to reduce backlog and delays. By sharing lessons learned and best practices on these topics, the Action Committee is helping to pave the way towards court modernization and improved access to justice."

"With this continued mandate comes a responsibility to ensure that Action Committee’s guidance reflects a broad and representative array of perspectives and experiences. Accordingly, the Action Committee has worked with Indigenous partners to create an Indigenous Advisory Group that will work with the Action Committee to incorporate Indigenous perspectives in its guidance. Relatedly, the Action Committee will strive to solicit and incorporate the perspectives of other equity seeking groups."

"To complement this transition, the Action Committee reviewed and updated its Terms of Reference to ensure they captured the planned scope of its work and operations. In addition to reducing the Action Committee’s focus on health and safety protocols tied to the specific demands of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Terms of Reference highlighted the Action Committee’s commitment to consider the legacy effects of the pandemic and acknowledge that, though an extraordinarily difficult and demanding time, it also led to unprecedented innovation in the courts, as well as new and creative partnerships. The Action Committee also added Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples to its Key Principles and Considerations."

"Amid this evolution, the Action Committee has remained committed to its role as a hub for coordination and collaboration. It has continued to work with partners across the Canadian justice system to highlight best practices adaptable to individual courts to assist them in delivering justice."