Tag: court delays

Quebec yet again calls on Ottawa to appoint more judges

Days after the new president of the Quebec legal society said that the landmark Jordan ruling could “do us good if we could solve the problem,” Quebec Justice Minister Stephanie Vallée called on the federal government yet again to quickly appoint 10 new Superior Court justices in the province.

Despite significant investments over the past six months by the Quebec government to curb delays in the criminal justice system, Quebec is still struggling as the number of Jordan-related requests for a stay of proceedings keeps on surging. The Quebec Director of criminal and penal prosecutions (DPCP) revealed that there were 684 Jordan applications as of March 23, 2017, a figure that has grown to 895 as of late May.

Quebec Crown requested 134 stays following Jordan ruling

At least 134 accused were released at the request of the Crown from July 2016 to April 24, 2017 following the Jordan ruling, revealed Annick Murphy, the head of the Director of criminal and penal prosecutions (DPCP), during testimony at a parliamentary commission before the Quebec National Assembly.

Of the 134 accused, 75 so-called nolle prosequi – or formal notice of abandonment by the prosecutor of all or part of the action – were entered after defence filed a Jordan motion. The remaining 59 were filed “voluntarily” by the DPCP, said Murphy.

Quebec criminal justice plagued by delays

Quebec’s justice system will require more money and human resources, need to make more use of technological advances to efficiently deal with routine appearances, and prioritize and encourage timely resolution of cases to be able to curb the unprecedented delays in criminal proceedings, according to the Chief Justice of the Court of Quebec Elizabeth Corte.