In October 2013, the Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters* released its final report, A Roadmap For Change. The report outlined detailed recommendations, and called on diverse justice system stakeholders to improve access to justice in Canada. The “nine-point roadmap” advocated for increasing funding for legal aid, strengthening the Early Resolution Services Sector, making access to justice a central part of professionalism, and transforming courts into multi-service centres for public dispute resolution.
Last January, the Action Committee held a Colloquium of over 100 leaders in the civil and family justice field to address the key recommendations presented in the final report. Colloquium participants attended workshops, and drawing from various disciplines and jurisdictions, shared innovative solutions to common access to justice roadblocks. These discussions were captured in the Colloquium Report. Released in June, this crucial follow-up to the final reportfunctions as a guide and idea bank for service providers and other stakeholders to implement Action Committee recommendations.
So where are we now, exactly one year after the release of A Roadmap For Change? What initiatives are underway across the country in response to the Action Committee’s recommendations? We are pleased to report that since the release of the Action Committee reports several ministries and other justice organizations have multi-stakeholder collaborative initiatives underway or in-progress. These initiatives bring key recommendations from the Action Committee to life – particularly with regard to creating “local and national access to justice implementation mechanisms.
Selected activities from across the country are presented below, and we look forward to bringing you updates as this work evolves. Several of these initiatives were profiled in the July 2014 issue of the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice newsletter.
Alberta
- Joint Action Forum: The Joint Action Forum held its first meeting in 2013 to begin a process that would improve access to justice in Alberta’s civil and family justice system.
- Reforming the Family Justice System initiative: The RFJS initiative is a collaboration between government, the Courts, and a number of organizations, academics and professionals that work within the family justice system.
Saskatchewan
- The Dean’s Forum on Dispute Resolution and Access to Justice: The forum draws together a selection of Saskatchewan’s legal system stakeholders to address provincial access to justice challenges.
Manitoba
- A2J Update: Three Manitoba Chief Justices released an update on access to justice initiatives in their home province. Activities include: ongoing improvements to the Manitoba Courts website, the development of the ‘Cameras in the Courtroom’ pilot project, and the expansion of access for media by designating space within the courts for media reporting and interviewing.
Ontario
- The Treasurer’s Advisory Group (TAG) – The Action Group on Access to Justice: The Law Society of Upper Canada has formed a specialcommittee on access to justice. TAG has already been participating in numerous collaborative initiatives, including a new handbook for dealing with everyday legal problems, and a course on child protection at Osgoode Hall Law School.
Nova Scotia
- Access to Justice Co-ordinating Committee: In June, the Nova Scotia Department of Justice announced the launch of the Access to Justice Co-ordinating Committee (A2JCC). Led by Justice Minister Lena Metlege Diab and the Honourable Chief Justice Michael MacDonald, the Committee seeks to address issues of efficiency, navigation, and cost in Nova Scotia’s family, civil and criminal court systems.
British Columbia
- Social Lab: In June, the BC Law Foundation funded a two-day workshop to explore how a social lab could be used to improve the family justice system for children and families in the province. The participants are now working on establishing a Steering Committee to move this initiative forward.
*Convened at the invitation of the Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, the Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters is focused on fostering engagement, pursuing a strategic approach to reforms and coordinating the efforts of all participants concerned with civil justice. The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice is pleased to play a support role in the execution of research and dissemination activities for the Action Committee. Reports from the Action Committee can be found atwww.cfcj-fcjc.org/collaborations.