Department of Justice Canada

Government Responses and Standing Committee Reports discuss reports tabled concerning justice-related issues. These responses are meant to provide greater insight into government decisions and the background that lead to these decisions. Topics covered by these reports, dating back to 1998...

In support of the Government of Canada's Red Tape Reduction Action Plan, the Department of Justice is committed to the accessibility of information on regulatory requirements. The Department of Justice offers information on family law, criminal law and Canada's system of justice in so far as it...

The Guide to Canadian Legal Information provides Canadians with pointers to relevant legal resources that are administered by the Department of Justice. The guide summarises the purposes of each of these resources, and where to find more information if needed. There are pointers to websites and...

The mandate of Justice Canada’s internal audit function is to help Justice Canada achieve its strategic outcomes by using a systematic and disciplined approach to assess and contribute to the continuous improvement of its risk management, internal control, and governance processes. The results of...

The January 2012 report the Red Tape Reduction Commission recommended "that the Department of Justice continue to develop tools to foster the intelligibility of legislative texts" to improve the clarity and predictability of regulation for business and improve understanding of regulatory...

The Minister of Justice prepares a "Charter Statement" to help inform public and Parliamentary debate on a government bill. One of the Minister of Justice's most important responsibilities is to examine legislation for consistency with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ["the Charter"]....

The Privacy Act (PA) was proclaimed into force on July 1, 1983. The PA extends to individuals the right of access to information about themselves held by the Government, subject to specific and limited exceptions. The PA also protects individuals privacy by presenting others from having access...

This Reference Guide is designed to provide Justice counsel with practical information about Dispute Resolution (“DR”) processes and to allow counsel to remain current with developments in the rapidly evolving field of DR. It contains information directed at counsel with varying levels of...

The costs of victimization of five violent crimes are analyzed in this report: assault, criminal harassment, homicide, robbery, and sexual assault and other sexual offences. Incidents that occurred in 2009 are included, and all costs, or impacts, of those incidents are included, regardless of...

The Minister of Justice prepares a "Charter Statement" to help inform public and Parliamentary debate on a government bill. One of the Minister of Justice's most important responsibilities is to examine legislation for consistency with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ("the Charter")....

The Canadian Victims Bill of Rights (CVBR) came into force on July 23, 2015. The CBVR created statutory rights at the federal level for victims of crime. The legislation establishes statutory rights for victims of information, protection, participation, and to seek restitution. It also requires...

The Minister of Justice prepares a "Charter Statement" to help inform the public and Parliamentary debate on a government bill. One of the Minister of Justice's most important responsibilities is to examine legislation for consistency with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ["The...

The Report is divided into two parts: the first part of the report addresses the issue of cyberbullying and includes information relating to the scope of the problem, the impact of cyberbullying on victims, existing legislative and policy responses and options for Criminal Code reform to address...

The Department of Justice Canada's 2020 Blueprint Progress Report for December 2016 updates Canadians and employees about initiatives being undertaken to improve employee wellbeing, increase transparency and collaboration. The primary focuses of the update are: building on personal and...

Section 4.2 of the Department of Justice Act requires the Minister of Justice to prepare a Charter Statement for every government bill to help inform public and Parliamentary debate on government bills. One of the Minister of Justice’s most important responsibilities is to examine legislation for...

Section 4.2 of the Department of Justice Act requires the Minister of Justice to prepare a Charter Statement for every government bill to help inform public and Parliamentary debate on government bills. One of the Minister of Justice’s most important responsibilities is to examine legislation for...

Please note that the Departmental Plans, Reports on Plans and Priorities from 2001-2006 have been archived by the Library and Archives on their website, and are no longer updated. Departmental Plans from 2006-2012 have also been archived by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, and will...

Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) became law in Canada on December 18, 2018. This amendment to the Criminal Code allowed police to demand a breath test of any driver even in the absence of suspicion or cause. MAS introduced a fundamental change in the approach used by police officers to enforce...

In 2018, Parliament enacted former Bill C-46, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (offences relating to conveyances) and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, S.C. 2018, c. 21 (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”) to create new and stronger laws to combat impaired driving. The Act...

Section 4.2 of the Department of Justice Act requires the Minister of Justice to prepare a Charter Statement for every government bill to help inform public and Parliamentary debate on government bills. One of the Minister of Justice’s most important responsibilities is to examine legislation for...