Requirements and recommendations applicable to the filing of documents by electronic transmission

 

Court Martial Appeal Court
of Canada

Cour d'appel de la cour martiale
du Canada

 

Until an e-Filing Web Portal for filing by electronic transmission is available, documents may be filed via email or a designated internet-based storage platform.

The following are mandatory requirements as well as recommendations that parties are strongly encouraged to follow. Please note that the recommendations set out with respect to the formatting of electronic documents allow the members of the Court to consult and navigate the documents filed with greater ease. Those recommendations become all the more important where the documents filed are lengthy and complex.

Rule 23.1 of the Court Martial Appeal Court Rules also sets out other available filing options.

Mandatory requirements applicable to the filing of documents by electronic transmission:

• Electronic documents must comply with Rules 4.2 and 23.1 of the Court Martial Appeal Court Rules (Rules).

• Documents containing confidential information must not be filed electronically by email. If you need to file electronic documents containing confidential information, please contact the Registry via email at cmac-information-cacm@cas-satj.gc.ca or telephone so that alternate arrangements may be discussed. Any document containing confidential information filed by electronic transmission must be password protected.

• The pages in every electronic document must be numbered consecutively.

• The Rules provide that a document filed by electronic transmission must be followed by a paper copy. Only the paper copy must be signed.

• All affidavits and statutory declarations filed electronically shall be signed and executed according to the Rules applicable in the jurisdiction where they are being filed.

Mandatory technical requirements applicable to the filing of documents by electronic transmission:

• An electronic document not exceeding 25 megabytes (MB) can be attached to and filed by email at cmac-information-cacm@cas-satj.gc.ca. A party who wishes to file an electronic document exceeding 25 MB must request a link to access a designated internet-based storage platform. The request can be submitted to the Registry by email at cmac-information-cacm@cas-satj.gc.ca. Please ensure that your request includes the court file number, the style of cause (name of the case) and the type of document sought to be filed.

• If the only available means of creating an electronic version of a document is to scan it, the resolution must be set to 300 dpi and must not be set to grayscale.

• Any security settings in a document must be deactivated.

• Any hidden text, such as markings or annotations (including track changes), must be removed from documents before converting them to PDF.

• Each and every document filed electronically must not contain malware, viruses, or other malicious content.

• If possible, ensure that the “Commenting” functionality for the PDF document is enabled.

Recommendations for the formatting of electronic documents:

• Electronic bookmarks are recommended for documents filed electronically. This is particularly important for large documents or documents that, if filed in paper form, would contain tabs or dividers. If added, the bookmarks must correspond to the items in the table of contents in each volume.

• It is recommended that any written submissions or factums filed by the parties include hyperlinks to all authorities that are publicly available in an electronic format. Hyperlinks must point directly to the relevant legislative provisions in both official languages, where available.

• Hyperlinks to websites or to other parts/sections/pages of the same document are encouraged. However, hyperlinks between documents are not permitted, because such links will not function once the document is uploaded into the Court’s electronic document management system.

Questions about the filing of electronic documents must be sent to the Registry at cmac-information-cacm@cas-satj.gc.ca. It is also possible to communicate with the Registry by telephone.