Fewer High Court Cases Explained

About a year ago, I posted comments concerning the trend in both the U.S. and Canada of fewer cases being heard by their respective supreme courts. In Canada, the top court hears only about one-third of the case it did back in the 1990s. In the U.S., Justices' caseload has been cut in half since the mid-1980s. Is this a case of lazy (or distracted) judges? According to Solicitor General (the person appointed to represent the Federal Government in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court) Paul Clement, the answer is NO. Clement claims that fewer cases being heard by the Court is a result of fewer laws being passed by Congress. He goes on to say that there also are fewer instances where the Circuit Courts (court of appeals) have differing opinions. Valid explanations.