The report presented all courses and seminars that were offered to federal judges in the past year
The Canadian Judicial Council has released “The Report to Canadians on Judicial Education 2024” report outlining the courses and seminars offered to federally appointed judges in the past year.
The Supreme Court of British Columbia took part in education seminars in May and November 2024. One seminar focused on new judges, while the others tackled family matters, trends in wills and estates law, and civil trial management.
Judges in Alberta courts took part in several seminars throughout January, February, May, and September 2024. Participants from the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta joined programs touching on family and criminal law matters, court issues, estate litigation, and pre-trial conferences, among others. Judges from the Alberta Court of Appeal also tackled topics like artificial intelligence and disability rights.
Seminars were offered to Saskatchewan judges in June, September, and December 2024. Court of King’s Bench for Saskatchewan judges participated in discussions on local legal services for self-represented litigants as well as on truth and reconciliation. Saskatchewan Court of Appeal judges stepped into a federal correctional facility with a criminologist for two days.
Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba judges discussed engagement with Indigenous laws and difficult litigants at seminars held in April and October 2024.
Judges in Ontario joined seminars held in May and November 2024. Superior Court of Justice (Ontario) judges tackled discrete issues in evidence, Ontario’s information technology policy, and publication bans. Meanwhile, Superior Court of Justice (Ontario) Family Court judges were educated on issues related to evidence in the context of children.
Québec judges attended meetings in May and October 2024. Québec Court of Appeal judges discussed AI’s impact on the legal system at a spring education meeting and held its 175th annual general meeting from October 15-18, 2024. The Superior Court of Québec tackled the facets of judicial education, collegiality, and settlement conferences. It also held its AGM on October 2-4, 2024.
Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador judges joined a May 2024 seminar that tackled the correct use of gender diverse terminology and its effect on litigants, among others. A December 2024 seminar discussed judicial ethics, among others.
Judges at the Court of Appeal and Court of King’s Bench of New Brunswick took part in a June 2024 seminar looked into the state of New Brunswick’s family justice system. Court of King’s Bench of New Brunswick judges also examined the new child protection adjudication model based on the Manitoba child protection model and emergency shelters.
In another June seminar, judges from the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick, the Court of King’s Bench of New Brunswick, and the Provincial Court of New Brunswick discussed evidentiary issues, deciding and sentencing, impaired driving, Charter updates, and Supreme Court of Canada jurisprudence.
A May seminar with the Supreme Courts of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island judges examined the effect of vicarious trauma, among others. The October 2024 Atlantic Appellate Seminar attended by judges from the Prince Edward Island Court of Appeal, Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, Court of Appeal of New Brunswick and Court of Appeal of Newfoundland and Labrador talked key jurisprudential developments in the law around sexual assault and family law from an appellate point of view.
A November 2024 seminar offered to Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, Nova Scotia Supreme Court, Nova Scotia Provincial Court judges tackled interaction with transgender litigants, among others.
Judges at the Supreme Court of Yukon, Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Court of Justice attended a May seminar on applications for judicial review, jury trials, and technology use.
