Canadian Judicial Council reports on its annual September meeting

St. John's, September 25, 2026 – Chief Justices and Associate Chief Justices from superior courts across the country met this week in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, for the annual September meeting of the Canadian Judicial Council.

"Council meetings offer an invaluable opportunity for Chief Justices and Associate Chief Justices to reflect on the challenges facing their courts and their judges, and collaborate on solutions aimed at improving judicial services,” said Chief Justice of Canada and Council Chairperson, the Right Honourable Richard Wagner, P.C. "The Council continually seeks ways to strengthen and adapt the judicial system to emerging issues, while fostering public confidence in the administration of justice and the health of our democracy."

As part of their meeting, Council members were pleased to hear from the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, who delivered a virtual address.

Highlights of the Council meeting in St. John’s included: 

• Ongoing work to modernize guidelines for federally appointed judges related to the use of artificial intelligence (AI); 
• The development of guidance to assist judges in evaluating digital media evidence, particularly in circumstances where the evidence appears to have been fabricated or materially altered using generative AI tools (deepfakes); 
• Discussions on updating resources for self-represented litigants in response to the growing use of AI;
• Discussions on the findings and recommendations of the Report on the Health and Well-Being of Judges;
• Updates on the administration of the judicial conduct regime, including the introduction of a new online complaint eligibility tool designed to help the public determine whether a complaint is eligible; and,
• Approvals of judicial education seminars and courses.

In addition to the above, chairpersons of each of the Council’s committees provided updates on other work related to topics such as judicial independence, the continuing education for judges, and judicial conduct.

Council’s next meeting will take place in April 2027.

Did you know?

To help preserve public confidence in the administration of justice, the Council strives to serve as a reliable source of accurate and accessible information about Canada's justice system.

To that end, the Council published a new public education resource entitled “Why Judicial Independence Matters” in July 2026, designed to help Canadians better understand one of the foundational principles of the justice system.

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Contact:
Krista Ferraro
Director of Communications and Strategic Issues Management 
Canadian Judicial Council 
info@cjc-ccm.ca