TAS Applauds SCC's Initiatives to Enhance Court Accessibility and Transparency

\May 13, 2019 (Toronto) - In his remarks to The Advocates’ Society’s Board of Directors on April 6, 2019 in Halifax, The Right Honourable Richard Wagner, Chief Justice of Canada, emphasized his goal of ensuring that the Supreme Court of Canada’s role and work is better understood by all Canadians, from coast to coast to coast.  In doing so, Chief Justice Wagner discussed the various ways in which the Court demonstrates its commitment to fostering accessibility and transparency, including video webcasting and archiving of hearings, publication of plain-language summaries of judicial reasons, and the Court’s new presence on various social media platforms.
Chief Justice Wagner also spoke of the Court’s plan to hear two upcoming appeals in Winnipeg on September 25 and 26, and for the Court’s judges to engage in a dialogue with local groups, including  Indigenous communities, the francophone community, the legal community, and high school students.  This will be the first time the Court has sat outside of Ottawa.  Read the Court’s media release here: https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/news/en/item/6593/index.do

The Advocates’ Society applauds the initiative of the Supreme Court of Canada to take these important steps to promote accessibility and transparency in the justice system.  “As legal advocates, we have a keen interest in improving access to justice and enhancing Canadians’ understanding of how our justice system works,” said Brian Gover, President of The Advocates’ Society. “By providing Canadians with these opportunities to witness firsthand the work of Canada’s highest Court and to meet with its members, the Supreme Court of Canada is demonstrating its leadership in enhancing public confidence in the Canadian judicial process.”
The Advocates’ Society is a national professional association for advocates with over 6,000 members from the bench and bar across Canada. The Society is Canada’s premier provider of advocacy skills training.  The Society plays a prominent role in contributing to justice reform initiatives, and in serving the administration of justice.