The diplomatic mission of Quebec's Minister of Justice Simon Jolin-Barrette to France was not just an opportunity to discuss the French language, but also to exchange ideas on how to improve the justice system.

"They have solutions in France regarding judicial delays," Jolin-Barrette explained, after his meeting on Friday with his French counterpart Éric Dupond-Moretti.

Jolin-Barrette cited, among other things, the "criminal procedure," which is equivalent to criminal law, where "for minor offenses, the process is much faster."

The Supreme Court ruling states that citizens facing criminal charges have the right to a trial "within a reasonable time" and it has been used several times to stop prosecutions that were taking too long to reach a conclusion.

Although criminal law falls under federal jurisdiction, the courts dealing with these cases are often provincial.

Jolin said: "They are doing very good things regarding digitization and computerization of justice... They are already ahead of us at this level."

Dupond-Moretti explained in a statement that Quebec is not the only one interested in note-taking.

He said, "It seems very useful to draw inspiration from Quebec's experiences." "Whether it concerns violence against women, the development of mediation and amicable dispute resolution, restorative justice, or the status of lawyers in companies, Quebec's experiences are rich and can inspire new improvements in serving the French."

Jolin-Barrette said: "This meeting was an opportunity to present our model of the specialized court and exchange recent initiatives implemented on both sides to combat sexual violence and domestic violence," adding that "Quebec is the first jurisdiction in the world against sexual violence and domestic violence."

Other topics will also be subject to the exchange of best practices within a permanent working committee, including court design, restorative justice, and out-of-court settlements.

Jolin-Barrette was on a diplomatic visit to France from June 22 to 25.

He gave a speech at the Académie française on Bill 96 and language preservation and met with the Secretary-General of the International Organization of La Francophonie, Louise Mushikiwabo.