As regards access to justice, the work is being done by our colleagues at the Department of Justice. In the context of the next action plan, we have already begun to ask our colleagues from all departments, including Justice, to think about what could be done with existing funding. Available money is already allocated to that under the current roadmap. The Department of Justice is already receiving $93 million over five years for the Contraventions Act and access-to-justice issues. We also want them to give us some innovative ideas for moving forward.
There is one access-to-justice issue, and that is the appointment of bilingual judges. I am not talking about Supreme Court judges here, but rather those on the superior court and appeal court benches. The Canadian Judicial Council is examining the issue of language skills. Courses supported by the Department of Justice are offered to judges at the time of appointment. There is a well-known course in New Brunswick that judges can take to practise their second language, French, in simulation settings.
Initiatives are in place, but we must do a little more. However, the administration of justice is a provincial jurisdiction. The Government of Ontario, for example, has conducted a pilot project at the Ottawa Courthouse to explore ways to improve the experience of litigants who enter the courthouse. That includes reception in the building, bailiffs, clerks, and all the staff involved in the judicial process. In that case, offering this kind of interface in the minority language is much more a provincial jurisdiction.