Annual Report

Below are some highlights of Council’s work from the 2016-17 fiscal year:

On October 5, 2016 the Canadian Judicial Council proposes reforms to the Judicial Discipline process.

The Canadian Judicial Council issued a Position Paper that makes recommendations for amending the Judges Act to further improve the judicial discipline process for federally-appointed judges. These recommendations build on changes adopted by the Council in 2016 to improve efficiencies in the early screening process. The goal is to ensure a modernized process in line with the public’s changing expectations of transparency and efficiency.

The Council continued its work on judicial conduct matters including two Inquiries Committees.

On March 9, 2017 the Canadian Judicial Council completed its review regarding the conduct of the Honourable Robin Camp. The Council’s Report noted that Canadians expect their judges to know the law and to possess empathy and to recognize and question any past personal attitudes that might prevent them from acting fairly.

In June 2016,the Council convened a new inquiry into the conduct of Justice Michel Girouard at the request of the Attorneys General of Canada and Quebec. This followed the release earlier in April of Council’s previous review which left certain questions unanswered.

In March 2017 the Council was pleased to be included in the Federal Budget 2017.

Budget 2017 will provide the Canadian Judicial Council with $2.7 million over five years, and $0.5 million per year thereafter, to support programming on judicial education, ethics and conduct. This commitment includes targeted investments to upgrade information technology infrastructure, so that information is managed accurately and effectively. The investments in Budget 2017 help build a stronger, better-informed judiciary, and help improve access to justice for all Canadians.

In May 2016 the Council published information kits on Judicial Independence.

In an effort to educate various audiences (judges, lawyers, senior civil servants, journalists, youth and the general public) on the principles underpinning judicial independence, the Council developed information kits that were made available to Council members and posted on Council’s website.

The Council provided its views on the Judicial Appointment process.

The Council collaborated with the Department of Justice to review the process for selecting and appointing judges to improve current practices and ensure that the public has confidence that appointments are based on merit, judicial excellence and independence.

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