Twelfth Annual Justicia Awards for Excellence in Journalism

The Canadian Bar Association (CBA) and Justice Canada have announced the names of the winners of the twelfth annual Justicia Awards for Excellence in Journalism.

The Awards celebrate outstanding journalism that fosters public awareness and understanding of the Canadian justice system.

Awards are given in two categories, broadcast and print media:

• Broadcast: A team from the BBC, led by Canadian journalist Laura Lynch, is the winner in the broadcast category for a two-part documentary entitled “Power and the Judges.” The December 2010 documentary examined the power that judges hold, whether their independence and impartiality can be ensured and whether they should ever have the authority to overrule laws
• Print: Dominique Forget is the winner in the print category for her May 1, 2011 article “Une justice pour happy few” in L’actualité. The article examined the state of Quebec’s civil justice system, which it described as dominated by the wealthy, businesses and non-governmental organizations. It describes the system as “too expensive, too complicated and too long” and discusses alternatives such as mediation, plain language and participatory justice.

Winners receive a bronze statuette that is based on the Justicia statue that stands outside the Supreme Court building in Ottawa.