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Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters

Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters
Image source: Canadian Forum on Civil Justice

The Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters is a Canadian judicial advisory body.

History

The Action Committee was founded in 2007 by Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin.[1]

Organization

The Action Committee collaborates with the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice.[2]

Personnel

Members and leadership of the Action Committee are listed on its website.[1:1]

Name Position Notes
Beverley McLachlin Founder[1:2] Supreme Court of Canada, Cross-Jurisdictional Technical Advisory Group
Richard Wagner Honourary President[3] Supreme Court of Canada, Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19
Andromache Karakatsanis Steering Committee Chair Supreme Court of Canada
Mark Benton Steering Committee Vice-Chair[1:3] Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, Access to Justice BC, Legal Aid BC
Ariane Charbonneau Steering Committee Vice Chair Éducaloi, Bloc Québécois
Tracy Bock Steering Committee member Legal Aid Commission of the Northwest Territories, Federation of Law Societies of Canada (FLSC), Northwest Territories Department of Justice
Doug Ferguson Steering Committee member Liberal Party of Canada, Ontario Small Claims Court, Consent and Capacity Board, Family Responsibility Office (FRO), Ontario Bar Association, Rights and Responsibilities Awareness Initiative (RRAI)
Patricia Hebert Steering Committee member Bruyer & Mackay, National Judicial Institute (NJI), Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Alberta
Peter Kingsley Steering Committee member Legal Aid Manitoba
Catherine McKinnon Steering Committee member Access to Justice Secretariat
Christine O'Doherty Steering Committee member Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice (CIAJ), University of Montreal Faculty of Pharmacy
Philippe-André Tessier Steering Committee member Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse, Barreau de Montréal
Thomas Cromwell Chair (former)[4] Cross-Jurisdictional Technical Advisory Group, Supreme Court of Canada, Borden Ladner Gervais (BLG)
Barb Turner Alberta Representative Alberta Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General
Leonard Marchand British Columbia Representative British Columbia Court of Appeal, Canadian Judicial Council (CJC)
Tina Parbhakar British Columbia Representative Access to Justice BC
Natasha Brown Manitoba Representative University of Manitoba Faculty of Law, Law Society of Manitoba, Legal Help Centre of Winnipeg (LHC), Manitoba Bar Association
Stacey Soldier Manitoba Representative Cochrane Sinclair, Legal Aid Manitoba, Law Society of Manitoba, Manitoba Bar Association
Danie Roy New Brunswick Representative Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick, Specific Claims Tribunal Canada (SCT)
Michelle Thompson New Brunswick Representative Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick, Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN), Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
Charlene Moore Nova Scotia Representative Nova Scotia Legal Aid
Nalini Vaddapalli Nunavut Representative Law Society of Nunavut
Karin Taylor Northwest Territories Representative Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories, Department of Justice Canada, Legal Aid Commission of the Northwest Territories
Sheena Weir Ontario Representative Counsel Public Affairs, Law Society of Ontario
Julie Mathews Ontario Representative Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)
James W. Gormley Prince Edward Island Representative Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island, Stewart McKelvey
Sophie MacDonald Prince Edward Island Representative Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island, Stewart McKelvey, Law Society of Prince Edward Island
Sophie Vézina Quebec Representative Bernier Beaudry, Fondation du Barreau du Québec
Brea Lowenberger Saskatchewan Representative Centre for Research, Evaluation, and Action Towards Equal Justice (CREATE Justice)
Glen Gardner Saskatchewan Representative Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice and Attorney General
Cindy Blackstock Member First Nations Child & Family Caring Society
Camille Cameron Member Council of Canadian Law Deans (CCLD)
Clayton Conlan Member Canadian Superior Courts Judges Association (CSCJA)
Shalene Curtis-Micallef Member Department of Justice Canada, Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19
Janet Dench Member Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR)
Adrian Di Giovanni Member International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Trevor Farrow Member Canadian Forum on Civil Justice
Brenda Green Member Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges
Shaunna Mireau Member Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL)
Doug Mitchell Member American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL)
Kevin O'Shea Member Public Legal Education Association of Canada (PLEAC)
Josh Paterson Member Association of Canadian Law Foundations (ACLF)
Todd Rambow Member Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges
Scott Robertson Member Indigenous Bar Association (IBA)
Scott Siemens Member ADR Institute of Canada
Donna Walwyn Member Canadian Association of Black Lawyers (CABL)
Vacant Member Canada Race Relations Foundation (CRRF)
Vacant Member Canadian Judicial Council (CJC)
Vacant Member Chambre des notaires du Québec

Funding

The Action Committee has received funding from:[1:4]

  1. About. Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters. Retrieved March 15, 2025, from https://www.justicedevelopmentgoals.ca/about ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. Collaborations. Canadian Forum on Civil Justice. Retrieved March 15, 2025, from https://cfcj-fcjc.org/collaborations/ ↩︎

  3. The Right Honourable Richard Wagner, P.C., Chief Justice of Canada. (2025, March 9). Supreme Court of Canada. https://www.scc-csc.ca/about-apropos/judges-juges/list-liste/richard-wagner/ ↩︎

  4. Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters. Access to Justice Research Network. Retrieved March 15, 2025, from https://ajrn.org/category/action-committee-on-access-to-justice-in-civil-and-family-matters/ ↩︎