Meeting between First president Christophe Soulard and Chief Justice Richard Wagner (Supreme Court of Canada)

This meeting was an opportunity to take stock of the cooperation between the two courts, linked by a twinning agreement dating back to 1998, and united within the AHJUCAF, and to outline the perspectives of future projects.

During this exchange, First President Christophe Soulard and Chief Justice Richard Wagner discussed the modernization of the courts in the context of the health crisis, the question of the independence of judges and confidence in justice as well as the access of citizens to justice. The First President Christophe Soulard mentioned the recent reflections (Commission “Court of cassation 2030") and reforms conducted by the Court of cassation, in particular concerning the motivation of the decisions, the improvement of the treatment of appeals and the development of a communication strategy of the Court of cassation, all these reforms being guided by the will of the Court to reinforce the confidence of the citizens in justice and to make better known the Court of cassation. Chief Justice Richard Wagner shared the very similar reflections of the Supreme Court of Canada, for which access to justice is a priority, and which aims at getting closer to the citizens through modernized and reinforced communication, through the broadcasting of hearings and through the organization of mobile hearings, the next one to be held in Quebec City in September 2022.

At the end of their bilateral meeting, First President Christophe Soulard and Chief Justice Richard Wagner agreed to organize regular meetings between the two courts, which share many common thoughts.