Competition Tribunal
Set up in 1986 to preserve and promote competition in Canada, the pioneering Competition Tribunal was the first judicial institution in the country to accept the e-filing of documents and to organize exclusively electronic hearings.
The judicial and non-judicial members in the hearing room are provided with laptop computers linked together on the Tribunal’s network. In this manner, case documents can be presented, shared and consulted in real time.
In addition, screens are placed on the desks of each lawyer, member and witness, while a giant screen enables visitors to view documents during hearing proceedings.
In December 2005, the Tribunal issued a request for proposals to rewrite its Case Management System and to expand system functionalities. GTI Canada was awarded the contract based on a combination of the company’s 16 years of relevant experience and membership in the select North American group of FileMaker Partners, now the Platinum Group of FileMaker Business Associates.
Competition Tribunal / GTI Canada partnership
The new multi-user, fully bilingual (English/French) Case Management System has been in operation since September 2006, and represents the product of close, ongoing cooperation between the teams at the Competition Tribunal and GTI Canada.
The six primary innovations include as follows
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Development of critical paths based on general categories of cases heard by the Tribunal
Replete with customized alert and ‘Things to Do’ modules as well as a document link functionality, each critical path was designed to make allowance for case prerequisites, deadlines and interdependencies. As a result, procedures were standardized and updates rendered easier to perform. The ‘Things to Do’ module, accessible by each successive user, ensures operational continuity at all times.
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Standardization of information to accelerate consultation work and case updates
All documents linked to a case were grouped together in general categories. In so doing, it was possible to develop input screens specific to each category. The software was also designed to make allowance for the specifics of each document and to enable administrators to indicate mandatory fields for the purposes of document-specific research and consultation.
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Production of hearing summaries in PDF format
The system automatically compiles stakeholder names, hearing dates and blank text fields, making it possible to enter essential hearing information and generate summaries upon request.
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Simplification of laptop computer/database synchronization procedure for judges
The system allows each judge, at any time and from any location, to annotate and comment upon all documents linked to a case using his or her laptop computer. A simpler, more reliable synchronization functionality linking the central database and member laptop computers was developed to accelerate technician involvement and guarantee that members enjoyed access to all relevant documents at all times.
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Compilation of statistics and generation of reports
All administrative data required (e.g. hearing duration, time use for members and technical personnel, etc.) is easily and automatically compiled, and rendered accessible at all times.
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Possibility of modifying various database parameters without requiring programmer intervention
All tables of parameters may be easily modified by authorized users in both languages.
«This mandate provided us with an opportunity to appreciate the difference between an IT solutions provider and a strategic IT partner. GTI availability and cooperation were nothing short of exemplary. By creatively exploiting FileMaker 8 functionalities, we were able to satisfy the requisites of the proactive business management policy developed by our management team.»