Breaking Down Silos

Written by Jennifer Leitch, NSRLP Executive Director, with contributions and editing by Dayna Cornwall, NSRLP Project Manager; originally published on Slaw, Canada’s online legal magazine.

The landscape of access to justice research and work in Canada continues to grow and evolve. However, in such a large and diverse country it is sometimes easy to become siloed in one’s own work, institutional setting, and geographical location. Understandably, we are all focused on the particularities and situational challenges inherent in the necessarily specific work of addressing a plethora of access to justice symptoms across different governments, court and tribunal systems, regions, and populations. But we must not lose the bigger picture, and there is therefore a great benefit to being able to connect, exchange ideas, share research, and communicate initiatives – doing so allows those engaged in access to justice work to better move the dial toward enhanced access to justice for everyone. Moreover, it is currently imperative to recognize the need for researchers and innovators engaged in building a uniquely Canadian agenda and set of responses to the challenges posed in access to justice in our country. Those of us working on various aspects of the access to justice crisis are keenly aware of our strengths and contributions, as well as our own challenges and limitations. For example, those working in academic settings may benefit from research funding opportunities and the knowledge necessary to develop and implement rigorous research agendas capable of generating important, reliable data. However, they may not have the opportunity to see the lived reality of access to justice for many who seek assistance from access to justice organizations that provide information and service. By contrast, access to justice organizations working on the ground are often keenly aware of the lived realities of justice seekers, as well as the gaps and barriers they face, but generally operate on extremely narrow budgets and often lack the resources to examine, record, and report on these phenomenon. For many organizations working in access to justice, there is a sense of running to catch up: there is always more need than resources, and initiatives are developed often on the fly, with little time to reflect and theorize on themes and theory, and plan for long-term solutions. Added into the access to justice landscape are the justice system stakeholders and insiders who are tasked with the significant responsibility of recommending and implementing practices and policies that are meant to address issues of access to justice on a system-wide basis. Providing opportunities for these various actors to learn from each other and to collaborate going forward serves to strengthen everyone’s work in access to justice.

To this end the Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters, chaired by Justice Andromache Karakatsanis, is facilitating an inaugural national conference on access to justice in May, 2026 entitled, “Advancing People-Centred Justice in Canada: Data Sharing and Knowledge Building.” Regarding the conference, Doug Ferguson, Chair of the NAC Research Subcommittee tasked with its organization, has stated, “the conference aims to break down the siloes in the justice system, bring together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and organizations from across Canada to exchange knowledge and explore themes relating to data and people-centred justice. We want to promote more research and collaboration and hope to see at least one or two ideas that could be implemented by governments in the short term.” In keeping with this objective and its national context, the conference will take place at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law and will gather individuals from across the country who are engaged in access to justice research, on-the-ground work, and policy development. Practically speaking, the conference will provide an opportunity for participants to exchange existing theories and data on a host of access to justice projects, develop research agendas for moving forward, and create an environment of collaboration. Importantly, this event offers an opportunity for those engaged in information and service access to justice work to engage not only with researchers, but also with those in government tasked with undertaking justice reform, and justice system professionals who are daily tackling barriers in courtrooms and administrative settings across the country. The conference also provides space for those working in access to justice outside of formal legal institutions to share programming initiatives, raise awareness about continuing gaps, and engage in potential collaborations that serve to strengthen the response to various people’s particular needs.

On a theoretical level, the conference is grounded in a people-centred approach to access to justice. This approach is far-reaching in its ambitions and manifestations, and therefore well-suited to a conference seeking to bring a broad spectrum of access to justice stakeholders together. A people-centred approach to justice prioritizes the need for data on individuals’ lived experiences and legal needs, but also puts a priority on identifying the best ways to meet those needs from individuals’ perspectives. Thus, formal institutions are part of the discussion, but not the whole discussion. The challenges of access to justice are not viewed solely through the lens of justice system insiders, but are brought into bi-focus by adding the lens of the individuals attempting to access justice in their lives. This is an expansive conceptualization of access that goes beyond formal legal institutions and considers access to justice in a multi-disciplinary and holistic manner. Results produced through this theory include flexible services that are often localized to better address particular citizens’ actual needs. This flexibility means that what might be successful in one legal context may not be in others, and programs both in formal legal institutions as well as outside these institutions must be responsive to individuals’ actual needs and challenges.

An event such as the upcoming inaugural conference provides a unique opportunity to share needs, programs, and initiatives such that successful research and programming might be replicated and tweaked to address needs in other sectors. Because people-centred justice prioritizes the value of participation by the very people seeking justice, it can serve to inculcate a sense of empowerment. When those seeking to resolve a legal need are able to share their experiences in a respectful and encouraging environment, and then see the evidence of their voices taken seriously through the development of truly useful and responsive initiatives meant to assist them, they are much more likely to experience a sense of empowerment that can carry forward in a myriad of ways. Thus, being heard and being able to meaningfully participate in the resolution of their legal problems are key components of citizen empowerment, a healthy trust in the justice system, and a corresponding strengthening of the administration of justice. Such forms of empowerment are also consistent with people-centred justice.

By combining justice research and work that reflects the lived experiences of those facing a host of everyday legal problems and needs with the knowledge of those working directly with people seeking justice, a people-centred access to justice conference aims to build solutions that are empowering, accessible, and responsive.

See here for more information about the National Action Committee’s conference, “Advancing People-Centred Justice in Canada: Data Sharing and Knowledge Building” (May 26-28, 2026, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law).

Please note that abstract submissions are due October 1, 2025, and should be a maximum of 250 words. The call for proposals can be found here.

Please address any additional questions or inquiries to Jennifer Leitch via jennifer.leitch@utoronto.ca.