NEWS
4 Obiter Dicta
Defining Access to Justice
What does access to justice mean to everyday Canadians?
hannah de jong ›
communications assistant, cfcj
W
hat does the public think about the
justice system? What does justice mean
to everyday Canadians? We interviewed
99 Canadians in the Greater Toronto
Area and have captured their responses in our colourful new infographic “What is Access to Justice?”
You can see the infographic at: www.cfcj-fcjc.org/
infographics/what-is-a2j
The infographic is based on the “What is Access
to Justice” project conducted by CFCJ Chair Trevor
Farrow. As part of the project, CFCJ members interviewed people in Toronto on justice-related questions
and issues. By conducting these interviews, the project has framed the access to justice debate in clientcentered, problem-based and democratic terms. Some
of the questions asked were, “How do you define justice?”, “Have you ever faced access to justice barriers?”
and “Do you think that everyone is equally vulnerable
to access to justice barriers?” The responses gathered
were as insightful as they were varied. Overall, people
thought justice was a fundamental issue to Canadians,
and people should have a right to justice. But perhaps
the most interesting recurring theme was that justice means more to people than a fair trial and equitable access to courts. Justice, at its root, is all about
the good life. Respondents described justice as accessing equality, understanding, education and happiness, as well as basic needs such as food, housing, and
security.
So what does that tell us? Well, for starters, justice
system workers need to listen to the voice of everyday
Canadians when making policy decisions concerning
justice reform. But this responsibility goes both ways
— citizens may also have a duty to engage meaningfully in access to justice discussion and debate. And as
this project shows, many people are more than willing
to think critically about the justice system and how it
could be improved — all you have to do is ask.
In addition to an infographic and video series, an
in-depth discussion of findings g&