Aims and Purposes of the Canadian Provincial Court Judges Association

The aims and purposes of CAPCJ set out in its constitution are:

1. To act as a federation of judges’ associations for the common benefit of all their members;
2. To promote and facilitate communication among all Canadian Judges and with the judiciaries of foreign countries;
3. To promote, defend and safeguard the dignity of, respect for and the authority of Courts and Judges and their individual and institutional judicial independence in Canada and elsewhere;
4. To play a leading role in determining and implementing policy with respect to the continuing education of Judges and the work of the National Judicial Institute;
5. To consider matters relating to judicial responsibility and ethics and to promote and implement equality and diversity within The Association and in all activities of The Association;
6. To promote the use of both official languages in all activities of The Association and to ensure that all members of The Association understand its workings in the official language of their choice; to ensure that all communications (written, audio-visual and electronic) intended for the general membership are in both official languages; and to work to increase the bilingual capability of Judges and their courts;
7. To address the needs and concerns of supernumerary, per diem and retired Judges;
8. To achieve a better public understanding of the role of the Judiciary in the administration of justice and, in so doing, to initiate or support public education and public relations programs;
9. To discuss and study existing law and recommend to the appropriate authorities such amendments thereto as may be considered proper, provided, however, that nothing in this Constitution shall be construed as preventing any Judge or Provincial, Territorial or Municipal Judges from making any recommendation directly to such authorities without reference to The Association;
10. To liaise with Canadian organizations such as the National Judicial Institute, the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Superior Court Judges Association, the Canadian Council of Chief Judges, the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice and Law Schools;
11. To liaise where practicable with judges’ associations in other countries and with international organizations engaged in judicial education and improvements to the administration of justice.