WHAT'S NEW?
Records of the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court and the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada now available on-line
OTTAWA, August 10, 2005 - R.P. Guenette, Acting Chief Administrator of the Courts Administration Service, announced today that recorded entries of the Federal Court of Appeal, Federal Court and Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada are now available to the public on the websites of these three Courts.
The Honourable John D. Richard, Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Appeal, the Honourable Allan Lutfy, Chief Justice of the Federal Court, and the Honourable Edmond P. Blanchard, Chief Justice of the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada, consider that access to recorded entries through the Courts' websites will be beneficial and of considerable assistance to the legal profession, litigants and public as well. Mr. Guenette also notes: "Recorded entries available on these websites are the most detailed docket of any Canadian Court. We also look forward to having available online recorded entries for the Tax Court of Canada. As this Court is operating on a different technology platform, the project is still ongoing."
For each case before the Federal Court of Appeal, Federal Court and Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada, an electronic file is created listing the names of the parties, documents and pleadings filed by the parties, hearings held, as well as Court orders and directions issued. Although the process has been computerized since October 1990 for the majority of files, until recently, only the parties' names and file numbers were available online via the Indexing Queries tool; Docket Entries were available only by visiting a Registry office of the Courts. By placing this Docket Queries tool on the Courts' websites, the process of searching, requesting and receiving copies of records will now be simplified and accelerated.
Proceedings of close to 400,000 cases are now available online by accessing a secure copy of the databases of the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court and the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada. Site visitors can access docket entries for each case, with the exception of a very limited number of cases that have been classified as confidential by the presiding judge, for which online access is not provided. In addition, more limited information (style of cause, names of parties, date and place of filing, type of case) is available online for another 150,000 cases that took place before the process was computerized.
The indexing records and docket entries for Federal Court of Appeal cases can be viewed at http://www.fca-caf.gc.ca/business/proceedings_queries_e.shtml
The indexing records and docket entries for Federal Court cases can be viewed at http://www.fct-cf.gc.ca/business/proceedings_queries_e.shtml
The indexing records and docket entries for Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada cases can be viewed at http://www.cmac-cacm.ca/business/proceedings_queries_e.shtml
Media Contact:
Courts Administration Service
F. Lanthier
Media Relations
(613) 992-8850