The minister of Justice considers “incomprehensible” the current situation of the judicial system

Photo Simon Clark
Stéphanie Vallée does present, however, his plan to modernize the judicial system in the spring.

Kathryne Lamontagne

Wednesday, 27 September, 2017 13:05

UPDATE
Wednesday, 27 September, 2017 13:10

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It is “inconceivable” that the judicial system is still under the paper in 2017, recognizes the minister Stéphanie Vallée, who will, however, his plan to modernize the city in the spring.

• READ ALSO: The palace of justice of Quebec are “stone age”

Our parliamentary Bureau revealed on Wednesday that Quebec was slow to lay the groundwork for a detailed model, which would update the archaic legal system. The last large-scale project, the integrated information System of the justice (SIIJ), was abandoned in 2013 after a bitter defeat that cost$ 76 Million to taxpayers.

The lawyers and judges who have denounced the situation in our pages will have to wait. The minister of Justice said Thursday floor on a strategy, which should be unveiled in the spring. “One is to put in place a plan of action, a plan of work for the digital revolution, the computer revolution, goes in the middle of the justice”, advance Ms Valley.

Two meetings

Since “a few months”, the teams are “working to transform our justice system”, she argues. “We held two large meetings, forums, on the modernization of justice,” said Ms. Valley. Yes, we must transform our system of justice. Yes, it should happen in the 21st century in the middle of the court. We are working on it.”

“Measures in the short and medium term” as well as “financial commitments” should be on the table, at the time of this announcement. To date, however, only nine initiatives totaling less than$ 2 Million marked the organizational transformation of the system from 2013, according to the ministry of Justice.

On the side of public Safety, which accuses him also of the shortcomings of computerization, the minister Martin Coiteux says that “things are moving”. However, according to his ministry, just 328 000 $ have been spent since 2013 in the project of computerization DACOR 2.0, which is in the phase of analysis. Previously, the Sentinel program was abandoned, after an expenditure of 37.6 M$.

Sharp criticism

The opposition parties have strongly criticized the inaction of the liberal government. Five years after “the dismal failure of SIIJ”, “the government does not know where he goes,” believes the mp pq’s Véronique Hivon. “Not only will [the plan] is not deployed, but it does not yet exist. I find it amazing,” she commented.

Claimant also has a concrete plan of action, the CAQ accused the liberals of having “abandoned” the justice system and the “patch for the past 15 years”. “It is necessary for the government to have the resources to make the digitization of records, the computerization of the rooms of court,” argues Simon Jolin-Barrette, who deems it “not serious” the meagre investments made so far.

Both believe that it is “urgent” to see the results in the palace of justice. The physical folders must disappear and quickly, they argue.