Attorney General and Chief Justice on Study Tour in Canada

Minister of Justice and Attorney General, A.J. Nicholson; Chief Justice, Lensley Wolfe, and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Carol Palmer, are on a 10-day study tour in Canada, observing the Canadian justice system.
The study tour is part of the Social Conflict and Legal Reform (SCLR) project, which is a joint effort of the Governments of Jamaica and Canada, and sponsored by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
The study tour, which began on Monday, May 16, will take the participants to two Canadian cities – Toronto and the capital Ottawa – where they will hold discussions with personnel from the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice. They will also meet Canada’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General, the Irwin Cotler and Ontario’s Chief Justice, Brian Lennox; tour the Ontario Legislature and observe a case, which is being heard in the Supreme Court.
Some of the topics the group will be exposed to include the courts and justice administration system, court administrative reform, formulating justice policy, legal aid, judicial appointment processes, youth justice, restorative justice and implementation of the sentencing reform process.The delegation will return to Jamaica on May 25.
The Cdn$6.7 million Social Conflict and Legal Reform project, was launched in 2001 and seeks to assist Jamaicans to resolve disputes amicably by strengthening the capacity of the Jamaican legal system. So far, residents of two pilot communities – Trench Town in Kingston and Flankers in Montego Bay – have been taught how to effectively resolve conflicts.