Simon Jolin-Barrette wants to tackle legal delays

Photo: Jacques Boissinot Archives The Canadian Press “We are aware that we have just experienced a more difficult year, with an increase in court delays, particularly in the district of Montreal,” said Minister Jolin-Barrette.

Benoit Valois-Nadeau

Published at 18:42 Updated at 19:30

• Québec

Quebec Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette has made reducing court delays one of his priorities for the coming year, he announced Friday during a speech marking the return of the courts at the Quebec City courthouse.

Speaking before an audience composed of judges from the Supreme Court of Canada and the four Quebec judicial courts, Minister Jolin-Barrette acknowledged that the Quebec justice system was “facing many challenges.” “We are aware that we have just experienced a more difficult year, with an increase in court delays, particularly in the district of Montreal. Reducing these delays must be a priority,” declared the man who had donned his lawyer’s robe for the occasion.

To speed up the delivery of justice, Mr. Jolin-Barrette asked his federal counterpart, Arif Virani, to quickly fill the vacancies at the Quebec Court of Appeal and Superior Court. According to federal estimates, the Court of Appeal is short one judge and the Superior Court is short five.

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“Behind every case, there are citizens who place their trust in it. […] Every stay of proceedings [due to excessive delays] has a lasting impact on citizens’ confidence in the justice system,” the Quebec minister maintained.

Mr. Jolin-Barrette also admitted that the Lexius project, a major project to modernize and digitize justice announced by his predecessor Sonia LeBel in 2018, had not yet reached cruising speed. Digitizing court offices and courts could speed up the processing of cases and simplify access to justice for citizens. “We are aware that the transformation of the system toward a fully digital justice system is not progressing at the pace we would like,” he said.

The day before, Quebec Chief Justice Manon Savard had called for better funding for the Court of Appeal during a similar ceremony at the Montreal courthouse. “Lemons cannot be squeezed forever,” she said, referring to the lack of judges and staff shortages in courthouses.

Speaking before the minister, she reiterated her requests on Friday. “Things are not moving as quickly as they should,” she said. “The financial resources we are allocated have stagnated for several years. If I make this request, it is not for the judges, but for all litigants, who have the right to a modern and accessible court.”

The minister also gave a brief overview of the implementation of specialized courts for sexual and domestic violence in the province. According to him, approximately 20,000 victims have been supported through the 17 specialized courts set up in Quebec, victims who, in the past, “refused to file a complaint for fear of not being heard.”