There are no uniform powers and practices for administrative tribunals or minimum protection for parties except as are provided by the common law. The members of these agencies are often part-time, untrained and unfamiliar with the practices required by administrative law. Few of them have access to independent legal counsel.
Few tribunals publish rules of practice.
The Task Force was told that decisions of some tribunals are difficult to find. The Administrative Justice System in Nova Scotia which sets out the Commission's preliminary suggestions for reform. The Commission received a number of comments from members of the public responding to its suggestions. Its Final Report is based on these suggestions which have been revised in light of these public comments and further research. In addition, there is concern that creating new rules simply involves more cost, particularly where existing procedures may meet the concerns that new rules would be addressing.