Dionne Rose, Parliamentary Reporter

Justice Minister Senator A.J. Nicholson has put civil servants in the justice sector on notice as he says major changes will be implemented after a review of the system.

Senator Nicholson, was on Friday making his contribution to the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate, said the review of the system began in September,

"The process commenced in earnest in September and on-site activities began on October 17, 2006. It is projected to be completed at the end of June 2007 and should provide a modernisation plan for the transformation of the justice system," he said.

The Canadian Bar Association is conducting the review of the justice system, which was announced by Senator Nicholson in January. The minister said that a management group comprising the Canadian team and their local counterparts, supported by a Canadian advisory committee would be working with a task force to drive the reform process.

Senator Nicholson said the task force is made up of participants from across the society. These persons he said included the judiciary, the Church, the public and private bar, the Dispute Resolution Foundation, academia, and the business community, among others.

He said the task force would provide direction for the review, add oversight for the reform of the system that is already under way, and, sign off on the final report that will form the basis of the modernisation agenda.

Citing some of these reforms, Senator Nicholson said the Justice Training Institute has adopted a strategic posture by aligning its programmes to the objectives of the Ministry of Justice. This, he said, is being done in the ongoing training of court reporters.

He disclosed that 22 persons completed their training in court reporting in August and some of them are soon to be placed in the courts. Another group, he said commenced training in September.

He said automation of the various processes within the system was a major focus of the ministry and the institute has undertaken a drive to ensure that all employees, and especially those in the courts, are properly trained to meet the challenges inherent in their becoming proficient in the relevant information technology skills.

Regional Training Centre

"Negotiations are advanced for the institute to become the regional training centre for the Justice Enforcement Management System software that has been installed at the Supreme Court and which is to be rolled out in other courts on a phased basis," he said.