The Rules of Contempt are under review by the BC Supreme Court Civil and Family Rules Committee (Rules Committee). The existing rules are outdated and do not reflect the range of options that are used under the court’s inherent jurisdiction when a court order is violated.
The existing rules need to be modernized to provide clear and proper procedures to litigants and to help people obtain assistance from the court when an order is not obeyed. The Rules Committee is conducting a consultation to obtain feedback from justice system stakeholders, following the release of a Green Paper that outlines several options for amending the rules.
CBABC expressed frustration at the imbalance between the expense and effort required for various procedures in aid of compliance and the relatively muted outcomes of those efforts. The public’s disappointment in this divergence between effort and outcome undermines faith in the justice system as a whole.
CBABC put out a Call for Consultation and organized an ad hoc group to review the existing rules of contempt and to research rules across the country. Recommendations were based on the options presented by the Rules Committee in their Green Paper.
Questions? Email us at advocacy@cbabc.org
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