What do you tell
victims of crime when they find out that because of delays in the
justice system they will not get their day in court? What do you tell a
child temporarily removed from her home when she asks when she can go
back and the answer is: “When we can find a judge to decide”? These
questions are just a few of many in a debate about access to justice in
Ontario and Canada.
Access to justice is a
real issue affecting all Canadians, from victims of crime to accused
persons, children and families, the elderly and the innocent. But while
we strive to improve access to justice, the courts are limited by
significant constraints, such as personnel, funding and, specifically, a
lack of judicial officers to hear cases.
These limits create institutional delay. For example, according to the Child and Family Services Act and the Family Law Rules,
a hearing regarding child protection must take place within four months
of the start of the case, but in fact more than half of all child
protection proceedings took more than four months in 2011-2012, the most
recent year for which we have statistics.
Read on...
Read on...
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