Addressing the needs of self-represented litigants in the Canadian justice system : Répondre aux besoins des PNRA dans le système canadien de justice : livre blanc préparé à l'intention de l'association des administrateurs judiciaires du Canada

While the problem is a complex one involving the interplay of numerous factors, for too many Canadians cost seems to rise as an insurmountable barrier to access.49 The Chief Justice of Canada’s comments are entirely consistent with the responses of court workers in the SRL Survey,50 and are supported by the literature,51 that Canadian courts are increasingly populated by SRLs, the vast majority of [...] As the Supreme Court of Canada has further held: “We have no doubt that the right to access to the courts is under the rule of law one of the foundational pillars protecting the rights and freedoms of our citizens.”55. [...] To help bridge this service gap, the third recommendation in this White Paper is that judges, court staff, lawyers and others – the workers in, and providers and trustees of, public justice – must embrace a greater sensibility and mindset of consumer-oriented service in the spirit of assisting the members of the public who come into contact with the justice system.