Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19

The Action Committee on Modernizing Court Operations, previously called the Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19,[1] is a Canadian federal government committee. It is housed within the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada.[2]
History
On May 8, 2020, the Department of Justice Canada announced the creation of the Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19 under the auspices of Richard Wagner, Chief Justice of Canada and Chairperson of the Canadian Judicial Council, and David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.[3] The committee held its second virtual meeting on May 22, 2020, during which it "approved and released the Committee’s terms of reference, core principles and perspectives to be considered for court operations in response to COVID-19 and initial orienting principles on safe and accessible courts."[4]
On July 30, 2020, the action committee published recommendations that courts follow the recommendations of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) or provincial health authorities to “promote the health and safety of court users and personnel in the context of ongoing court operations.”[5]
In September 2023, the Action Committee changed its name to the Action Committee on Modernizing Court Operations “in light of the end of the public health emergency” and “As the Action Committee’s work had shifted in focus from pandemic response to on-going modernization.”[1:1] Its Terms of Reference was further updated in October[1:2] and November 2023.[6] Yet another update was made on September 11, 2024.[7]
Members
Name | Position | Notes |
---|---|---|
Richard Wagner | Co-chair[3:1] | Supreme Court of Canada, Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) |
Arif Virani | Co-chair[8] | Department of Justice Canada |
Shalene Curtis-Micallef | Acting Co-chair,[9] Member[10] | Department of Justice Canada |
David Lametti | Co-chair (former) | Department of Justice Canada |
Jeremy Akerstream | Member[10:1] | Manitoba Justice, Heads of Court Administration (HoCA) |
David Corbett | Member[11] | Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General |
François Daigle | Member[12] | Department of Justice Canada |
Doug Downey | Member[13] | Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General |
Nathalie G. Drouin | Member | Department of Justice Canada |
David Eby | Member (former) | British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General |
Melissa Gillespie | Member[14] | Provincial Court of British Columbia |
Harpreet Kochhar | Member (former)[15] | Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) |
Heather Jeffrey | Member [10:2] | Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) |
Lise Maisonneuve | Member[16] | Ontario Court of Justice, Canadian Council of Chief Judges (CCCJ) |
Terry Matchett | Member | Alberta Court of Justice, Canadian Council of Chief Judges (CCCJ) |
Geoffrey Morawetz | Member | Ontario Superior Court of Justice |
Mary Moreau | Member | Court of King's Bench of Alberta |
Tina Namiesniowski | Member | Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) |
Murray Rankin | Member[17] | British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General |
Manon Savard | Member[9:1] | Court of Appeal of Quebec |
Niki Sharma | Member[10:3] | British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General |
Shannon Smallwood | Member, Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Group,[10:4] and member of the Technical Advisory Group[18] | Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories |
Iain Stewart | Member (former)[16:1] | Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) |
Stéphanie Bachand | Ex-officio member[10:5] and member of the Technical Working Group[18:1] | Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) |
Renée Thériault | Ex officio member | Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) |
Rose Cataldi | Representative for Doug Downey | Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General |
Paul Craven | Representative for Niki Sharma[14:1] | British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General |
Cindy Evans | Representative for Iain Stewart and Harpreet Kochhar[19] | PHAC Emergency Management Branch |
Claudia Ferland | Representative for Harpreet Kochhar[17:1] | Regulatory, Operations and Emergency Management Branch |
Richard Fyfe | Representative for David Eby[19:1] | British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General |
Faye McWatt | Representative for Geoffrey Morawetz[20] | Ontario Superior Court of Justice |
Nancy Othmer | Representative for Shalene Curtis-Micallef[11:1] | Department of Justice Canada |
Jean-Charles Bélanger | Chief Legislative Officer of the Secretariat[21] | Public Law and Legislative Services Sector (PLLSS) |
Audrey Barrett | Legal Counsel of the Secretariat[22] | National Judicial Institute (NJI) |
Karine Charland | Legal Counsel of the Secretariat[23] | Department of Justice Canada |
Christopher Crighton | Legal Counsel of the Secretariat[21:1] | Department of Justice Canada |
Olivia Furlong | Legal Counsel of the Secretariat[24] | Government of British Columbia |
Sangwa Bavon Lupika | Executive Assistant of the Secretariat[21:2] | Trade Law Bureau |
Jessica Mutchmore | Executive Assistant of the Secretariat[25] | Department of Justice Canada |
Kim Nguyen | Student[26] | University of Ottawa |
J. Michael MacDonald | Chair of the Technical Working Group[27] | Stewart McKelvey, Nova Scotia Court of Appeal |
Marc A. Giroux | Member of the Technical Working Group[18:2] | Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada, Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) |
Indigenous Advisory Group
Additionally, the Action Committee hosts an Indigenous Advisory Group chaired by Justice Shannon Smallwood. Its membership is made up of representatives from the following organizations:[28]
- Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS)
- BC First Nations Justice Council
- Carcross/Tagish First Nation
- Elsipogtog Health & Wellness Centre (EHWC)
- Makivvik Justice Department
- Native Counselling Services of Alberta
- Native Para-Judicial Services of Quebec
- Yorkton Tribal Council (YTC)
Technical Working Group
The Action Committee is supported by a Technical Working Group (TWG), whose membership includes:[18:3]
- "The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories, in her capacity as the Chair of the Indigenous Advisory Group of the Action Committee
- The Executive Legal Officer of the Supreme Court of Canada
- The Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs, in his capacity as Director of the Canadian Judicial Council
- Representatives of the federal Courts Administration Service and of the Heads of Court Administration
- Officials from provinces or territories whose Minister or Deputy Minister responsible for justice sits on the Action Committee
- Officials from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
- Employees of Justice Canada"
Publications
- July 30, 2020: Message from the Action Committee: Keeping Our Court Environments Safe in the Midst of a Pandemic
- April 6, 2021: Safe and Accessible Courts – Orienting principles for Canadian Court Operations in Response to COVID-19
Freedom of Information
- January 18, 2025: 'Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19' meeting minutes obtained from Canada's Department of Justice, published by Scoops McGoo
Terms of Reference - Action Committee on Modernizing Court Operations. (2023, November 9). Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20240111095937/https://www.fja.gc.ca/COVID-19/reference-eng.html ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Action Committee on Modernizing Court Operations. (2025, February 21). Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20250226204051/https://fja.gc.ca/COVID-19/index-eng.html#Committee ↩︎
Department of Justice Canada. (2020, May 8). Chief Justice of Canada and Minister of Justice Launch Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19. Government of Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20200511221732/https://www.canada.ca/en/department-justice/news/2020/05/chief-justice-of-canada-and-minister-of-justice-launch-action-committee-on-court-operations-in-response-to-covid-19.html ↩︎ ↩︎
Rappaport, R. (2020, May 27). Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19 Approves Initial Guidance Documents. Canadian Judicial Council. http://archive.today/2024.05.03-195336/https://cjc-ccm.ca/en/news/action-committee-court-operations-response-covid-19-approves-initial-guidance-documents ↩︎
Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19. (2020, July 30). Message from the Action Committee: Keeping Our Court Environments Safe in the Midst of a Pandemic. Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20211020010433/https://fja.gc.ca/COVID-19/Safe-court-environments-Pour-des-tribunaux-surs-eng.html ↩︎
Terms of Reference - Action Committee on Modernizing Court Operations. (2024, January 31). Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20240605132310/https://www.fja.gc.ca/COVID-19/reference-eng.html ↩︎
Terms of Reference - Action Committee on Modernizing Court Operations. (2024, September 11). Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20241103170541/https://www.fja.gc.ca/COVID-19/reference-eng.html ↩︎
Department of Justice Canada. (2025, February 16). A-2024-00205 - Meeting Minutes for Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19 (p. 121). Internet Archive; White Rose Intelligence. https://archive.org/details/a-2024-00205-ocr ↩︎
Department of Justice Canada. (2025, February 16). A-2024-00205 - Meeting Minutes for Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19 (p. 127). Internet Archive; White Rose Intelligence. https://archive.org/details/a-2024-00205-ocr ↩︎ ↩︎
Terms of Reference for the Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19. (2023, February 28). Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20230320094005/https://www.fja.gc.ca/COVID-19/REFERENCE-ENG.HTML ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Department of Justice Canada. (2025, February 16). A-2024-00205 - Meeting Minutes for Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19 (p. 124). Internet Archive; White Rose Intelligence. https://archive.org/details/a-2024-00205-ocr ↩︎ ↩︎
Terms of Reference for the Action Committee. (2021, August 26). Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20211020010307mp_/https://fja.gc.ca/COVID-19/reference-eng.html ↩︎
Terms of Reference for the Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19. (2023, May 23). Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20230525052510/https://www.fja.gc.ca/COVID-19/reference-eng.html ↩︎
Department of Justice Canada. (2025, February 16). A-2024-00205 - Meeting Minutes for Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19 (p. 118). Internet Archive; White Rose Intelligence. https://archive.org/details/a-2024-00205-ocr ↩︎ ↩︎
Department of Justice Canada. (2025, February 16). A-2024-00205 - Meeting Minutes for Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19 (p. 73). Internet Archive; White Rose Intelligence. https://archive.org/details/a-2024-00205-ocr ↩︎
Terms of Reference for the Action Committee. (2020, November 25). Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308100124/https://www.fja.gc.ca/COVID-19/reference-eng.html ↩︎ ↩︎
Department of Justice Canada. (2025, February 16). A-2024-00205 - Meeting Minutes for Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19 (p. 106). Internet Archive; White Rose Intelligence. https://archive.org/details/a-2024-00205-ocr ↩︎ ↩︎
Terms of Reference - Technical Working Group. (2023, October 24). Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20240111095941/https://www.fja.gc.ca/COVID-19/Technical-Working-Group-Mandat-du-groupe-de-travail-eng.html ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Department of Justice Canada. (2025, February 16). A-2024-00205 - Meeting Minutes for Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19. Internet Archive; White Rose Intelligence. https://archive.org/details/a-2024-00205-ocr ↩︎ ↩︎
Department of Justice Canada. (2025, February 16). A-2024-00205 - Meeting Minutes for Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19 (p. 102). Internet Archive; White Rose Intelligence. https://archive.org/details/a-2024-00205-ocr ↩︎
Secretariat of the Action Committee on Modernizing Court Operations. GOC411. Retrieved February 16, 2025, from https://www.goc411.ca/en/Employees/IndexByUnit/C%3DCA%2CO%3DGC%2COU%3DJUS-JUS%2COU%3DPLS-SDPI%2Cou%3DSAC-SCA ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Audrey Barrett. GOC411. Retrieved February 17, 2025, from https://www.goc411.ca/en/504613/Audrey-Barrett ↩︎
Karine Charland. GOC411. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://www.goc411.ca/en/352285/Karine-Charland ↩︎
Olivia Furlong. GOC411. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://www.goc411.ca/en/390612/Olivia-Furlong ↩︎
Jessica Mutchmore. GOC411. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://www.goc411.ca/en/390605/Jessica-Mutchmore ↩︎
Kim Nguyen. GOC411. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://www.goc411.ca/en/504614/Kim-Nguyen ↩︎
Wagner, R., & Lametti, D. (2021). Progress Report - Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19 (p. 3). Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada. https://www.fja.gc.ca/COVID-19/pdf/Action-Committee-Progress-Report.pdf ↩︎
Terms of Reference - Indigenous Advisory Group. (2023, October 24). Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20231120040325/https://www.fja.gc.ca/COVID-19/Terms-of-Reference-for-the-Indigenous-Advisory-Group-Mandat-du-groupe-consultatif-autochone-eng.html ↩︎