Canada’s chief justices given green light to help solve court delays

A judicial disciplinary body says Manitoba’s chief justices acted appropriately when they collaborated with the provincial justice minister on a proposal to eliminate preliminary inquiries, and later met with the federal justice minister to discuss it.

The ruling by the Canadian Judicial Council gives the country’s federally appointed chief justices the go-ahead to play a direct role in developing answers to justice-system delays and other issues facing the courts – even in proposing legislative changes that could alter major elements, such as the hearings that determine whether there is enough evidence to go to trial.

The unprecedented collaboration between the chief justices of three levels of court and Manitoba Justice Minister Heather Stefanson advocating a major experiment with the criminal-justice system was a direct response to a struggle in Canadian courts with the issue of delay. Last summer, the Supreme Court of Canada set strict new time limits for criminal trials, and said all players in the system needed to overcome a “culture of complacency.”

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Ce contenu a été mis à jour le 9 juin 2017 à 13 h 30 min.