The Department of Justice Canada Research and Statistics Division, in collaboration with the Coordinating Committee of Senior Officials - Family Justice Research Sub-committee, reviewed research and evaluation studies on the use of technology in the family justice system. The purpose of the review was to explore how technology has been used to increase access to or enhance the experience of individuals in the Canadian family justice system.
In 2019, there was initial interest in undertaking this study to explore how technology could help modernize the family justice system. When the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 global pandemic in March 2020, technology was quickly seen as a solution to keep courts open and maintain access to justice. This led to significant changes to how justice was administered in Canada.
This report is a first step to understanding how the use of technology could be expanded within the family justice system, and what practices involving technology could be maintained post-pandemic. It is still too early to know the impacts of these changes and what technologies may continue to be used. Further research in this area would be beneficial as new technologies are introduced and the impacts of the pandemic become more evident.