CFCJ Newsletter

Over the past decade, Canada has consistently scored well on all measures included in the annual World Justice Project Rule of Law Index except one – access to civil justice.  The civil justice factor is made up of 7 component scores of which Canada ranks low on accessibility and affordability, absence of discrimination and unreasonable delay. In a short paper that discusses access to civil justice in Canada, CFCJ Senior Research Fellow, Dr. Ab Currie addresses these failings and offers insights into how people-centred research and changes in funding for civil legal aid can support the improvements that are needed. “Let’s Pick Up Where We Left Off 25 Years Ago to Expand Access to Civil Justice in Canada” by Ab Currie is available on the CFCJ website here: https://cfcj-fcjc.org/wp-content/uploads/Lets-Pick-Up-Where-We-Left-Off-25-Years-Ago-To-Expand-Access-To-Civil-Justice-in-Canada-Ab-Currie.pdf.

 

• The Justice Crisis: The Cost and Value of Accessing Law edited by Trevor C.W. Farrow and Lesley A. Jacobs: https://cfcj-fcjc.org/a2jblog/the-justice-crisis-a-book-about-access-to-justice-in-canada/.
• The Community Being Helped is the Resource that is Needed to Extend Access to Justice to the Community by Ab Currie: https://cfcj-fcjc.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Community-Being-Helped-Is-the-Resource-That-is-Needed-Ab-Currie.pdf.
• Measuring Impacts of Legal Services – Bibliography, Network and Methodology by Trevor C.W. Farrow, Lisa Moore and Ab Currie: https://cfcj-fcjc.org/wp-content/uploads/Measuring-Impacts-of-Legal-Services-Bibliography-Network-and-Methodology-–-Trevor-Farrow-Lisa-Moore-and-Ab-Currie.pdf.
• Measuring Impacts of Legal Services – A Literature Review on Research Design and Methodology by Lisa Moore: https://cfcj-fcjc.org/wp-content/uploads/Measuring-Impacts-of-Legal-Services-A-Literature-Review-on-Research-Design-and-Methodology-Lisa-Moore.pdf.
• The Unintended Benefits of Innovation by  Ab Currie and Brandon Stewart: https://cfcj-fcjc.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Unintended-Benefits-of-Innovation-Ab-Currie-and-Brandon-Stewart.pdf.
   

• Understanding the Impacts of Access to Legal Help by Lisa Moore: http://www.slaw.ca/2020/11/26/understanding-the-impacts-of-access-to-legal-help/.
• Building Bridges Between Private Bar Services and Community Legal Clinics by Ab Currie: http://www.slaw.ca/2020/10/23/building-bridges-between-private-bar-services-and-community-legal-clinics/.
• Ten Steps Forward on the Way to Justice for All by Trevor C.W. Farrow: https://medium.com/sdg16plus/ten-steps-forward-on-the-way-to-justice-for-all-c84cae998e1d.
• Lawyers and Self-Represented Litigants: Taking Pintea More Seriously by Jennifer Leitch: http://www.slaw.ca/2020/07/31/lawyers-and-self-represented-litigants-taking-pintea-more-seriously/.
• The Unintended Consequences of Innovation by Ab Currie: http://www.slaw.ca/2020/06/09/the-unintended-consequences-of-innovation/.
• The Importance of Civil Justice Indicators by Lisa Moore: http://www.slaw.ca/2020/04/15/the-importance-of-civil-justice-indicators/.
• Building Paths to Justice in Rural Wellington County: Learnings from the WellCoMs Mobile Van Pilot Project by Ab Currie: http://www.slaw.ca/2020/02/11/building-paths-to-justice-in-rural-wellington-county-learnings-from-the-wellcoms-mobile-van-pilot-project/.

• Justice Leadership in a Pandemic: https://www.thelawyersdaily.ca/articles/21742.
• New data shows the need for legal reform in Canada: https://vancouversun.com/opinion/data-show-legal-reform-needed.
• New evidence on the justice crisis: making the case for reform: https://news.yorku.ca/2020/09/02/new-evidence-on-the-justice-crisis-making-the-case-for-reform/.
• Surge in COVID-19 justice issues could spur Legal Aid Ontario funding crisis, lawyers warn: https://www.thelawyersdaily.ca/articles/20573/surge-in-covid-19-justice-issues-could-spur-legal-aid-ontario-funding-crisis-lawyers-warn.
   

Ab Currie, Senior Research Fellow at the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, Megan Longley, CEO of Nova Scotia Legal and Marcus Pratt, Director General of Policy and Strategic Research at Legal Aid Ontario are among a group of legal aid experts who have been meeting virtually over the past 9 weeks, advising the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on an assessment tool to provide guidance for developing effective criminal legal aid. The assessment tool is intended to support countries throughout the world in developing criminal legal aid systems consistent with the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems. The 3 Canadian participants made presentations on forms of people-centered justice in criminal legal aid; holistic criminal defense, restorative justice, legal representation in specialty courts, Gladue reports for Indigenous accused and cultural assessment reports used primarily to combat anti-Black racism. The work of the advisory panel of experts is on-going as the UNODC Legal Aid Assessment Tool nears completion. 

On 2 December, CFCJ Chair, Professor Trevor C.W. Farrow discussed “The Cost and Value of Access to Justice and Access to Justice 2.0” at a virtual research symposium for the Victoria Law Foundation in Melbourne, Australia. The presentation highlighted specific issues related to cost, impacts and bridging the justice gap.

We are thrilled to congratulate CFCJ Board Member, The Honourable François Rolland, O.C. on his recent appointment to the Order of Canada. Justice Rolland was recognized for his career and accomplishments as a lawyer, judge and mediator who has shown a longstanding commitment to the modernization of Quebec's judicial system.