Quebec says new powers for justices of the peace will reduce court delays

Quebec's justice minister is giving more responsibilities to justices of the peace to free up provincial court judges and reduce delays.

According to Simon Jolin-Barrett, presiding judges are empowered to oversee plea negotiations and bail hearings in criminal cases.

He said the move would free up 15 to 20 provincial court judges to handle other matters.

Justices of the peace oversee criminal cases under Quebec laws and certain federal statutes and are responsible for issuing warrants.

Jolin-Barrett says she wants to reduce the number of cases dismissed for failure to meet deadlines set by the Supreme Court of Canada in a landmark 2016 decision known as the Jordan decision.

He said the province often uses video conferencing, which allows judges and court officials who are not in the same city as the accused to oversee criminal proceedings.

– This report from The Canadian Press was first published on February 12, 2024.