NSRLP has begun working with several administrative tribunals to assist them in adapting their systems and skills to the volume of self-represented litigants they see each year.
Suzanne Gilbert
Today’s podcast features leaders at two federal Tribunals who are committed to improving meaningful access for self-reps, who make up 35-70% of litigants appearing at their tribunals. Suzanne Gilbert is Deputy Chairperson of the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Suzanne was previously a Chair at the Ontario Social Justice Tribunal, working with the Child and Family Services Review Board and Custody Review Board.
Paul Aterman
Paul Aterman is the Chair of the Social Security Tribunal, which hears appeals from decisions on the Employment Insurance Act, the Canada Pension Plan, and the Old Age Security Act. Paul is a lawyer with extensive administrative justice experience in human rights, immigration and refugee matters and workers’ compensation. He is also a member of the Measurement Working Group of Access to Justice BC, a network of justice sector organizations and individuals dedicated to improving access to justice.
Read our two-part blog on the work NSRLP did to get self-rep user feedback for the Immigration Appeal Tribunal here:
Part One “Enhancing A2J at the Immigration Appeal Tribunal: Listening to Users & Front-Line Workers”
Part Two “Enhancing A2J at the Immigration Appeal Tribunal: Addressing User Needs”
In Other News
Ali Tejani
Guest Other News Correspondent Ali Tejani brings us the following stories: BC’s Access to Justice Week took place January 24th to 30th, with productive conversations, interesting guest lectures, and a statement by BC’s Attorney General, David Eby, who was a guest on this podcast in 2019; Nova Scotia has launched a Task Force to improve A2J after COVID-19 – they will explore more ways to use technology to improve access to justice, increase efficiencies, and create better outcomes; former SCC Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin has written another interesting piece, “Access to Justice: Fragility and resilience: Lessons of 2020 and 2021 potential”; and finally, NSRLP is looking for looking for current or former SRLs across Canada for a public input project with the Social Security Tribunal of Canada – participants will be eligible to receive a gift card for their time. If interested, please email representingyourself@gmail.com.
BC’s A2J Week statement by Attorney General David Eby
David Eby’s Jumping Off the Ivory Tower episode
Nova Scotia launches new A2J Task Force
NSRLP looking for current or past SRLs across Canada for public input project
Jumping Off the Ivory Tower is produced and hosted by Julie Macfarlane and Dayna Cornwall; production and editing by Brauntë Petric; Other News produced and hosted by Ali Tejani, with assistance from Katie Pfaff; promotion by Moya McAlister and the NSRLP team.
please reconsider your opinion of justice actually existing out here in BC, I was just told by another lawyer i hired, that jonnson vs lymer does not apply to me,, even though i was declared vexatious in a very similar circumstance, I was told i could not appeal and i was told that even though the dna evidence in my case is admittedly wrong, and not reliable, and was illegally shared between labs, The courts do not care, They only care that i was declared vexatious, and now have no right to go back to the courts even if the evidence is wrong. Since the entire judgement in my case was based on wrong dna evidence, how is that justice?? And that is what is happening out here in BC. Please stop denigrating our organization because David Eby wants to speak. He has no interest in justice for all, no interest in the failure of the courts to follow the procedure of the courts and examine forensic evidence BEFORE, it is used as a deciding factor in decisions issued by the courts, and finally, apparently no interest in correcting these wrongs when they are pointed out to him. As they have been.
Here is a link to a site, that accurately describes what was done to me, This is the exact M.O of how my case went. You know what they say,, know your enemy, Now that the story is clearly in black and white, I wonder how many others had the same technics used against them. And who exactly helped them.
http://probonolegal.net/fraud-upon-the-court/