Government of Canada Invests in Canada's Judicial System

MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - March 16, 2011) - Canadians can look forward to Canada's judicial system taking advantage of the latest technologies, thanks to an investment by the Government of Canada. Today, the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Natural Resources, announced a $2.5 million grant for a team at the Université de Montréal to research strategies that will allow our judicial system to make use of the latest technological advancements.

"Our government is investing in research and innovation to create knowledge and jobs, strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life of Canadians," said Minister Paradis. "Today's announcement is an example of how we are fostering collaborative research that will move our research agenda forward."

The research being conducted at the Université de Montréal will help increase confidence in Canada's judicial system, improve efficiency, reduce costs, improve access to information, and provide greater transparency for all Canadians. It will reduce the dependency on traditional paper filing by developing new archiving network technologies.

"This grant highlights the excellence of our country's talented researchers and recognizes the importance of fostering collaboration to keep Canada at the forefront of research, development and innovation in the 21st century," said Chad Gaffield, President of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Dr. Karim Benyekhlef is the director of Université de Montréal's Centre de recherche en droit publique, the largest legal research centre in Canada. "Our goal is to identify the non technical barriers or impediments to the networking of justice," explained Dr. Benyehklef. "This investment by the SSHRC will offer a great boost for our very ambitious and important project."

SSHRC's Major Collaborative Research Initiative (MCRI) grants support leading-edge, multidisciplinary research projects led by scholars at Canadian institutions, with the participation of top international scholars. This collaborative approach enables research excellence, helping the best minds examine and find solutions to global issues.

SSHRC is the federal agency that promotes and supports university-based research and training in the humanities and social sciences. Through its three funding programs—Talent, Insight and Connection—SSHRC enables the highest levels of research excellence in Canada and facilitates knowledge-sharing and collaboration across research disciplines, universities and all sectors of society.

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