January 13, 2022
Federal Court Notice

Three groups of amendments to the Federal Courts Rules were approved by Her Excellency the Governor General in Council and registered on Dec. 13, 2021, and will come into force one month later, on Jan. 13, 2022.

Group 1. Amendments to the Federal Courts Rules

The Rules are amended to (a) allow the Courts to strike a balance between the importance and the complexity of the case and the amounts involved; (b) provide the Courts with the necessary tools to deal directly with dysfunctional or destructive conduct in the litigation process; (c) increase the effectiveness of the Federal Court of Appeal in managing motions and access to justice for litigants; and (d) reform the definition of “Christmas recess” and “holiday.”

Pre-publication in the Canada Gazette, Part I: April 10, 2021
Approval: PC Number 2021- 1002
Registration: Dec. 13, 2021 [SOR/ 2021- 0244]
Publication in the Canada Gazette, Part II: Dec. 22, 2021
Coming in Force: Jan. 13, 2022

Group 2. Amendments to the Federal Courts Rules (Enforcement)

The amendments to the Rules regarding the enforcement of orders address practical, procedural and
legal difficulties with considerations of efficiency, consistency, access to justice and the sensible use of judicial resources.

Pre-publication in the Canada Gazette, Part I: April 10, 2021
Approval: PC Number 2021-1003
Registration: Dec. 13, 2021 [SOR/ 2021- 0245]
Publication in the Canada Gazette, Part II: Dec. 22, 2021
Coming in Force: Jan. 13, 2022

Group 3. Amendments to the Federal Courts Rules (Limited-Scope Representation)

The amendments to the Rules add an option for a party to be represented by a lawyer on a defined,
limited mandate (i.e., for only part of the Court proceeding). This will increase the proportion of proceedings in the Federal Court of Appeal and the Federal Court in which litigants are represented by a
lawyer, whether on a limited or unlimited basis. Allowing litigants to have a lawyer represent them for only part of a legal proceeding will provide litigants with better access to justice while also making the Court process more efficient.

Pre-publication in the Canada Gazette, Part I: April 10, 2021
Approval: PC Number 2021- 1004
Registration: Dec. 13, 2021 [SOR/ 2021- 0246]
Publication in the Canada Gazette, Part II: Dec. 22, 2021
Coming in Force: Jan. 13, 2022

For more information, please contact the Secretary to the Federal Courts Rules Committee, Andrew Baumberg, by email.
Court of Queen's Bench Announcement

Effective Jan. 11, 2022, the Court Coordinators’ office, in conjunction with the Judicial Schedulers office, will observe new communication protocol.

Email communication is now the preferred method of communication for all scheduling requests and correspondence with the Court Coordinators and Judicial Schedulers.

All email communications must observe the following protocol:

  • Include the court action number / docket number if booking for an existing matter
  • Include all other parties in the request by way of copy (cc:)
  • Identify which party is making the request
  • Allow 48 hours to receive a response

Note: This new protocol only applies to Calgary and Edmonton. All regional locations should continue to observe existing communication practices. Current contact information for all Court Coordinators can also be found here.
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