Month May 2021

British Columbia Law Institute Reports Recommend Changes to B.C.’s Child Protection Legislation

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The British Columbia Law Institute’s (BCLI’s) Child Protection Project Committee has published two reports aimed at: (i) providing recommendations for reforms to the child protection framework; and (ii) reviewing legislation related to youth aging into the community.

The “Report on Modernizing the Child, Family and Community Service Act” provides an extensive review of British Columbia’s child protection statute, offering 39 recommendations for reform and draft sample legislation. The “Study Paper on Youth Aging into the Community” provides guidance on transition planning, relationship-based support, education support, and housing support for young people who were under care of the child protection system and have reached the age of maturity. The “Report on Modernizing the Child, Family and Community Service Act” and the “Study Paper on Youth Aging in the Community” bring the work of the Child Protection Project Committee to a close.

“Report on Modernizing the Child, Family and Community Service Act” is available on the BCLI website here: https://www.bcli.org/publication/92-report-on-modernizing-the-child-family-and-community-service-act.

“Study Paper on Youth Aging into the Community” published by the British Columbia Law Institute is available here: https://www.bcli.org/publication/study-paper-on-youth-aging-into-the-community.

A Case Study on People-Centered Access to Justice from Argentina

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A report by the former National Director of Access to Justice for the national Ministry of Justice of Argentina is providing insight into the development of a network of people-centered justice service centers across Argentina. “Putting People at the Center: A Case Study on Access to Justice Centers” offers a discussion of the objectives, strategic principles and operational tools guiding this national access to justice initiative in Argentina.

The report highlights external, political-institutional, and procedural considerations for designing a large-scale access to justice program. It also details the challenges and benefits of implementing a large-scale public program devoted to people-centered justice, and provides an experiential perspective that can serve as a guidepost for similar initiatives.

“Putting People at the Center: A Case Study on Access to Justice Centers in Argentina” by Gustavo Maurino is available in English here: https://530cfd94-d934-468b-a1c7-c67a84734064.filesusr.com/ugd/6c192f_2bfcbb9af90d423083933789ab4b433c.pdf.

More information about this initiative is available from this article by the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies: https://medium.com/sdg16plus/people-centered-justice-matters-a-case-study-in-argentina-df82e5e268f9 .

Parliamentary Committee Report Explores the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Canadian Immigration

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“Immigration in the Time of COVID-19: Issues and Challenges” is a new report from the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM). The report explores the impacts of the pandemic on Canada’s immigration system, with particular emphasis on family reunification, the parent and grandparent program, and impacts for international students and foreign nationals with expired documents. The parliamentary committee report includes 38 recommendations for consideration by the House of Commons, including:

  • A fully digitized system that also maintains the option for paper applications (Recommendation 1);
  • Increasing financial supports for settlement services to facilitate digital literacy and access to digital tools (Recommendation 3);
  • Implementing measures to permit permanent residents with expired permanent resident cards who have faced renewal issues because of the pandemic to return to Canada (Recommendation 4); and,
  • Prioritizing the processing of family reunification applications in cases where family members are protected persons (Recommendation 8).

The CIMM Committee report is available in English here:  https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/43-2/CIMM/report-5/. The report is available in French here: https://www.noscommunes.ca/DocumentViewer/fr/43-2/CIMM/rapport-5.

Annual Action Committee Report Highlights Progress on Access to Justice and Justice Sector Responses to the Pandemic

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The national Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters has released its annual progress report on the Justice Development Goals. The report offers insights on developments in nine areas deemed essential for better access to justice in Canada. The nine areas are based on the goals identified in the Action Committee’s 2013 “A Roadmap for Change” report which highlighted the need to:

  • Refocus the justice system to reflect and address everyday legal problems
  • Make essential legal services available to everyone
  • Make courts and tribunals fully accessible multi-service centres for public dispute resolution
  • Make coordinated and appropriate multidisciplinary family services easily accessible
  • Create local and national access to justice implementation mechanisms
  • Promote a sustainable, accessible and integrated justice agenda through legal education
  • Enhance the innovation capacity of the civil and family justice system
  • Support access to justice to promote evidence-based policy making
  • Promote coherent, integrated and sustained funding strategies

This year’s Action Committee report also includes a section on the justice sector’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Canada’s Justice Development Goals 2020: Challenge and Change” is available in English here: http://www.justicedevelopmentgoals.ca/sites/default/files/jdgreport2020challengechange.pdf.

Pour télécharger << Objectifs de développement en matière de justice du Canada de 2020 : Défis et changements >> cliquez ici : http://www.justicedevelopmentgoals.ca/sites/default/files/odjrapport2020defichangements.pdf.

Canadian Judicial Council Publishes 3 New Handbooks for Self-Represented Litigants

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The Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) has announced the publication of a new Civil Law Handbook, Criminal Law Handbook and Family Law Handbook for self-represented litigants. According to a May 5th press release, “[t]he goal of the handbooks is to help those who are not represented by legal counsel to better prepare for court proceedings, and to provide judges with tools they can recommend to such persons to help them access the courts.”

The handbooks were developed in conjunction with the Judicial Education Society of British Columbia and provide useful information on how to obtain electronic access to statutes, regulations and forms.

The three new handbooks are available on the CJC website in English here: https://cjc-ccm.ca/en/what-we-do/initiatives/representing-yourself-court and in French here: https://cjc-ccm.ca/fr/ce-que-nous-faisons/initiatives/se-representer-soi-meme-devant-un-tribunal.