CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 chief justice said he wanted to SA国际影视传媒渂ring the Supreme Court closer to CanadiansSA国际影视传媒� at a time of increasing misinformation, as he and other justices launched a cross-country tour to mark the courtSA国际影视传媒檚 150th anniversary.

Chief Justice Richard Wagner and other justices of the Supreme Court of Canada were in Victoria on Monday for the start of the tour that will include four other cities.

He said the high court needed to do more now than it did 25 years ago to inform the public about what the court is doing and how its decisions affect the lives of Canadians.

The Supreme Court of Canada was established in 1875 and is the final court of appeal that has made groundbreaking decisions on topics such as abortion, marriage and medically assisted suicide.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 very difficult for people to have trust if they donSA国际影视传媒檛 understand something or any institution,SA国际影视传媒� Wagner said in a news briefing at the Fairmont Empress hotel.

That is one reason the Supreme Court of Canada is increasing its efforts to inform the public what it does as well as how and why, he said.

SA国际影视传媒淚 think it will increase, improve, or maintain the trust of the people in our institution,SA国际影视传媒� Wagner said, adding there is more and more SA国际影视传媒渕isinformation and disinformationSA国际影视传媒� circulating in the public due to social media.

The courtSA国际影视传媒檚 public proceedings let Canadians see how justice is done, ensures fairness and hold the court to the highest standards of independence and impartiality, he said.

SA国际影视传媒淲e publish plain-language summaries of our decisions, share information about our work on social media, and we support journalists in reporting on the court,SA国际影视传媒� Wagner said.

SA国际影视传媒淲e do all this to help Canadians better understand the law and the principles that guard our decisions. This is also why we are here in Victoria this week. We want to bring the Supreme Court closer to Canadians.SA国际影视传媒�

Three of the nine judges who sit on the high court are in Victoria, with Wagner being joined by Justice Nicholas Kasirer and Justice Andromache Karakatsanis.

SA国际影视传媒淲e often joke that itSA国际影视传媒檚 like being in an arranged marriage with nine spouses,SA国际影视传媒� said Karakatsanis.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e together every day for every case. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we donSA国际影视传媒檛 agree, and we have good, sometimes spirited discussions.SA国际影视传媒�

The collegiality that they have is important to collective decision making, she said.

SA国际影视传媒淭he dynamics are as you would expect when youSA国际影视传媒檝e got nine independent, smart people who feel strongly about a case. We have a good debate and I enjoy working with my colleagues,SA国际影视传媒� Karakatsanis said.

Rebecca Johnson, a law professor at the University of Victoria and a former law clerk at the Supreme Court, said that though judges are appointed by governments with varying politics, the judiciary is neutral and focused on being transparent about difficult decisions.

SA国际影视传媒淲e have a judiciary that is so deeply engaged and answers the questions before them in ways that mean, even if you disagree with the outcome that they come to, we have a society in which we can talk about the reasons why theySA国际影视传媒檝e come to those decisions at any given point, and itSA国际影视传媒檚 not driven by politics,SA国际影视传媒� Johnson said.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 a strange time to be looking across the border and seeing very different conversations, ones that are less, sort of, equality enhancing and a little bit more fearful and a little bit more exclusionary.SA国际影视传媒�

Adam Hofri, an associate professor at the Peter A. Allard school of law at the University of British Columbia, called the Supreme Court of Canada one of the worldSA国际影视传媒檚 leading apex courts.

SA国际影视传媒淓specially impressive is the body of jurisprudence, interpreting, enlarging and applying the Constitution Act of 1867 and the Charter of Rights of 1982,SA国际影视传媒� Hofri said in a phone interview.

It has occasionally interpreted the provisions of the Constitution Act and the Charter in ways that could be called SA国际影视传媒渁ctivist,SA国际影视传媒� such as allocating power or additional power to the court, he said.

SA国际影视传媒淪ome people donSA国际影视传媒檛 like this and believe courts should only have those powers expressly allocated to them by the text of basic constitutional documents such as the Constitution Act and the Charter of Rights,SA国际影视传媒� Hofri said.

However, the Supreme Court has been a major player in building up the protection and rights that Canadians enjoy. It also decides many cases on private, commercial and trust laws, he said.

The justicesSA国际影视传媒� two days in Victoria also include a public forum and they will meet students, professors, the legal community and First Nations.

The road show will be in Moncton, N.B., on March 10 and 11. Later in the year, they will visit Yellowknife, Sherbrooke, Que. and Thunder Bay, Ont.

The court is holding several activities throughout the year that encourage public involvement. In April, it will host a bilingual symposium to examine how the courtSA国际影视传媒檚 role can evolve.

SA国际影视传媒淭rust is essential in a democracy. It must be earned and maintained through openness and transparency,SA国际影视传媒� Wagner said.

SA国际影视传媒擝y Marcy Nicholson, The Canadian Press