The union had previously criticized the province’s justice minister for excluding them from the group
A working group that Newfoundland and Labrador’s justice minister launched last week amid disruptions in the provincial court now includes the province’s largest union, which represents employees at the affected courts, such as sheriff officers and court staff.
The addition of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees, or NAPE, to the working group was confirmed Thursday by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety.
A spokesperson for the union also confirmed the development, noting that it came after the justice minister first announced the working group’s launch on Dec. 4. Shortly after the announcement, the union had criticized Minister of Justice and Public Safety Helen Conway Ottenheimer’s initial exclusion of the union from the working group, which is slated to meet before and after the holidays to address the provincial court system’s staff shortages and other systemic pressures.
“Not only did the minister not give the union a heads up about the closures and have yet to reach out, the ‘working group’ they announced demonstrates a complete disregard for our members who are the frontline workers,” the union said in response to the Dec. 4 announcement.
“These workers have shown nothing but dedication, professionalism and commitment to the public they serve, and this is how they’re treated. It’s shameful.”
The justice minister’s original announcement stated that the working group would comprise the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court’s chief judge, another Provincial Court judge, two members of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, Deputy Minister of Justice and Public Safety Gerrie Smith, and other senior officials within the ministry.
The working group launched roughly a week after the Provincial Court of Newfoundland and Labrador abruptly adjourned civil, traffic, and Contraventions Act matters until further notice. At the Provincial Court, civil matters refer to small claims, or matters in which less than $25,000 is at stake.
Cases that involve more than $25,000 go to the province’s Supreme Court, which is currently operating as usual. Circuit courts, which do not operate in a fixed courtroom but regularly travel to different regions to hear matters, will operate in fewer regions indefinitely.
Lawyers in the province have expressed concerns about the court disruptions, which they say will impede access to justice for self-represented litigants in particular.
Ministry of Justice and Public Safety spokesperson Eric Humber told Canadian Lawyer that the ministry formed the working group after a “productive meeting” with the Provincial Court’s chief judge and associate chief judge.
“The actions announced are a clear commitment by the Provincial Government to improve access to justice and to strengthen the Provincial Court system,” Humber said. “The current challenges do not reflect the commitment of the judiciary and the dedicated professionals in Provincial Court.
“Going forward, this working group will allow for enhanced communication and collaboration from all partners at the table,” Humber added. “While these issues did not develop overnight, there is nothing broken that cannot be fixed.”
