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The Year in Review: 2020-21
Courts Administration Service
Supporting the delivery of justice for all Canadians
2020-21 Annual Report
CAS was established on July 2, 2003, with the coming into force of the Courts Administration Service Act, S.C. 2002, c. 8 (CAS Act). Our role is to support Canada’s justice system by providing innovative, timely and efficient judicial, registry, corporate and digital services to the Courts. By delivering these services, CAS enables the Courts to hear and resolve the cases before them fairly, without delay and as efficiently as possible. Our services also facilitate access to justice for all Canadians by enabling litigants and legal counsel to submit disputes and other matters to be heard before the Courts. As described in section 2 of the CAS Act, our mandate is to:
Providing innovative, timely and efficient judicial, registry, corporate and digital services to Courts.
We are a national and international model of excellence in judicial administration.
Transparency – We aim to provide timely and unfettered access to clear and accurate information.
Respect – We recognize that our employees are entitled to work in a harassment-free environment where everyone can freely express their opinions without fear of recrimination or reprisal.
Innovation – We encourage a work environment that fosters creativity and new ideas to improve our business practices and the quality of our services.
Wellness – We advocate attitudes and activities in the workplace that generate a sense of spirit and belonging, that have a potential to improve overall physical and mental health, and that facilitate, encourage and promote fun and a balanced work and personal life.
Excellence – We strive to be exemplary in everything we do.
Four strategic priorities will shape our activities over the next five years:
We provide legal services and legal administrative support to assist members of the Courts in the discharge of their judicial functions. Our judicial services are delivered by legal counsel, judicial administrators, law clerks, jurilinguists, judicial assistants, library personnel and court attendants, under the direction of the four Chief Justices.
We provide registry services under the direction of the Courts. Our registries process legal documents, provide information to litigants on court procedures, maintain court records, participate in court hearings, support and assist in the enforcement of court orders. Our registry staff also work closely with the offices of the four Chief Justices to ensure that matters are heard and decisions are rendered in a timely manner.
We provide the full range of corporate services to support the Courts and their respective registries in carrying out their activities. Specifically, our corporate services include: Finance, Human Resources, Contracting, Materiel Management, Information Management and Information Technology (IM/IT), Security, Facilities, Strategic Planning, Communications, Internal Audit and Investment and Project Management.
Judicial independence is one of the cornerstones of the Canadian judicial system. Under the Constitution, the judiciary is separate from and independent of the executive and legislative branches. Judicial independence enables judges to make decisions free of influence based solely on facts and law. It has three components: security of tenure, financial security and administrative independence. Safeguarding the principle of judicial independence is a key operational consideration when providing services to the Courts, as well as in supporting the roles of the Chief Justices in the management of the Courts.
We have 750 employees providing services to some 95 members of the Courts. The Courts are itinerant, sitting in various locations across the country to reach Canadians wherever they are. We support members of the Courts in preparing files, conducting hearings and writing decisions “anywhere, anytime” and maintain 57 courtrooms across Canada. Judicial and registry services are offered in every province and territory through a network of thirteen permanent offices and agreements with seven provincial and territorial courts. The headquarters of the Courts are located in Ottawa. Our main regional offices are located in Vancouver, Toronto and Montréal, and local offices are located in Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Québec City, Halifax, Fredericton and St. John’s.
CAS is an agency within the Justice Canada portfolio. As the Chief Executive Officer of the organization and Deputy Head, the Chief Administrator has supervision over and direction of the work of CAS, with all the powers necessary for the overall effective and efficient management and administration of court services. Our accountabilities are maintained through this annual report to Parliament. In addition, committees with members of the Courts ensure our accountabilities are maintained, including quarterly meetings of the Chief Justices Steering Committee.