New Paper: An Open-Source Alternative to CanLII for the Era of Computational Law
# New Paper: An Open-Source Alternative to CanLII for the Era of Computational Law
Simon Wallace (Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Toronto Metropolitan University) and Sean Rehaag (Osgoode Hall Law School, York University) have published a new paper introducing the A2AJ Canadian Legal Data project and making the case for open legal data in Canada.
The Argument
At a moment when technology promises to enable new ways of working with law, the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) is becoming an impediment to the free access to law and access to justice movements because it restricts bulk and programmatic access to Canadian legal data. The result is a growing digital divide: well-resourced actors get the best new technological tools while the public is left with second-rate alternatives.
The paper puts CanLII in its larger historical context, showing how long and deep efforts to democratize access to Canadian legal data are — and how often they have been thwarted by private industry.
A2AJ as an Alternative
The paper introduces the A2AJ Canadian Legal Data project, which provides open access to over 116,000 court decisions and 5,000 statutes through multiple channels including APIs, machine learning datasets, and AI integration protocols. Through concrete examples, the authors demonstrate how open legal data enables courts to conduct evidence-based assessments and allows developers to create tools for practitioners serving low-income communities.
Read the Paper
Introducing the A2AJ's Canadian Legal Data: An Open-Source Alternative to CanLII for the Era of Computational Law
Wallace, Simon and Rehaag, Sean (September 15, 2025). Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper No. 5491908.
This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Law Foundation of Ontario.