Our commitment to access to justice

Access to justice (A2J) continues to be a priority for the Social Security Tribunal (SST). I’m pleased to share that we’ve developed 2 new resources that show our ongoing commitment to A2J. 

Our A2J vision

This explains what A2J is about at the SST in practical terms. It shows how, through our initiatives and programs, we’re committed to helping people access justice in ways that matter.

For more information, read Helping people access justice at the SST.

How the SST works

The Supreme Court of Canada’s (SCC) 2019 decision in Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v Vavilov (Vavilov) confirmed that the courts have to use the reasonableness standard of review when assessing tribunal decisions, unless legislation (laws from Parliament) says otherwise.  

Context matters. In Vavilov, the SCC states that you need to understand the context in which a tribunal works in order to decide whether a tribunal’s decision is reasonable.

That’s why we developed How the SST works: Responding to the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC)’s decision in Vavilov. We want to inform the courts, the parties who want to challenge our decisions in the courts, and the Canadian public about the context in which we do our work.

Canadians have a right to understand how their public institutions operate. This is why we keep looking for new ways to improve our transparency and accountability.