The decision to hold oral arguments electronically during the pandemic has highlighted a challenge during submissions when counsel and self-represented litigants refer the panel to materials in the record before the Court. As a result, commencing February 1, 2021, parties will have the option of filing a Condensed Book as an aid to assist in oral argument in both civil and criminal appeals.
- The filing of a Condensed Book is optional and will be of greatest assistance in complex and document heavy appeals.
- Condensed Books should be filed electronically on the CAMS system no later than two business days before the scheduled oral argument and be served on the other parties at the same time.
- The Condensed Book shall only contain excerpts from the record and from any filed item that the panel will be asked to refer to during oral argument. Any excerpt from the record or a filed item, including from any transcript, affidavit, exhibit or authority, shall include only as much material as is required to understand the significance of the excerpt.
- The Condensed Book must not include an outline of the oral argument nor any new material that is not already part of the record before the Court.
- The Condensed Book must have a Table of Contents and be formatted in accordance with the Court of Appeal of Alberta Practice Direction on Electronic Filing, including the inclusion of bookmarks that permit the panel to easily locate the documents referenced.
Catherine A. Fraser
Chief Justice of Alberta