David Eby, Attorney General, has issued the following statement in response to rules of court changes:

“Since my announcement on Feb. 11, 2019, about changes to the rules of court for motor vehicle actions, some questions have arisen about the rules committee process. 

“Although it is critical that the discussions of the rules committee remain confidential, in order to maintain judicial impartiality and to foster frank and open discussion of proposed rules, I would like to clarify the process that was followed in relation to these changes.

“The rules committee was engaged before the announcement of these changes. I very much appreciate the feedback of its members and of the chief justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia on these and all changes to the rules of court. The decision to make these particular changes required a balancing of many important public policy objectives, including preserving access to justice, while ensuring that insurance rates remain affordable. The rules committee did not recommend these changes and was not asked to approve these changes. These changes were a decision made by government.

“The rules committee and I share a common objective of managing the number and cost of expert reports to support the more proportionate and timely resolution of claims and government will continue its work on additional changes to the rules of court to make sure that B.C.’s justice system works for all British Columbians.”

Learn More:

Feb. 11. 2019, news release, Limiting use of experts to reduce costs, delays in motor vehicle disputes: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2019AG0009-000208