Department of Justice Canada

The Directive on Civil Litigation Involving Indigenous Peoples will guide the Government of Canada’s legal approaches, positions and decisions taken in civil litigation involving Aboriginal and treaty rights, and the Crown’s obligation towards Indigenous peoples. The Directive is part of the...

This fact sheet is based on publicly available data from the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS) between 2006/2007 and 2016/2017. Data is also presented from the Department of Justice Canada’s Justice Effectiveness 2008 (JE) project that collected data to specifically analyze case...

This fact sheet is primarily based on self-reported data from the 2014 General Social Survey (GSS) on Victimization, on police-reported data from the 2018 Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, and on court data from the 2016/2017 Adult Criminal Court Survey.

This 2018 gist provides a focus on automation technologies and how they are expected to affect justice in the future. The six factors the first gist identified—new business models, access to law, client empowerment, increased competition, legal profession shifts, and technology and digital...

This report is organized to reflect the rich information gathered from the Listening Project on Crime Victims’ Experiences of Restorative Justice. The structure of this report is as follows: • background on restorative justice and its relationship with crime victims, • an overview of the...

Restorative Justice (RJ) is an approach to justice that focuses on addressing the harm caused by crime while holding the offender responsible for his or her actions, by providing an opportunity for those directly affected by crime – victims, offenders and communities – to identify and address...

A forward regulatory plan is a public list or description of anticipated regulatory changes or actions that a department intends to bring forward or undertake in a specified time frame. It is intended to give consumers, business, other stakeholders and trading partners greater opportunity to...

The briefing material titles listed below were prepared for the Minister, the Deputy Minister and the Associate Deputy Minister of Justice. The lists are generated at the end of each month and are a snapshot in time of records created for that month. In keeping with the spirit of the Access to...

Most Canadians feel that sentencing guidelines are the best way to ensure a fair sentence and they believe that sentencing would be more consistent with such guidelines. Many Canadians also believe that Canada should consider having a sentencing commission, and that most important activity of...

This fact sheet is based on two Canadian publications from 2005 and 2010, publicly available and special request data from the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics at Statistics Canada, and internal research reports prepared by Justice Canada. A preliminary inquiry is a judicial hearing that is...

This comprehensive review – the first of its kind since 1982 – was intended to guide the Government in its efforts to ensure that Canada’s criminal justice system is just, compassionate and fair; that it promotes a safe, peaceful and prosperous society; and that it accurately reflects the values...

The focus of this report is on outlining some of the key findings from the body of knowledge of neuroscience, and applying them to the issue of sexual assault and its impacts on victims. More specifically, we review and highlight some of the significant developments, which have emerged from the...

The Directory of Restorative Justice is an alphabetical listing by Province/Territory of restorative justice programs across Canada. It provides program locations, contact information and a brief description of their services.

This fact sheet is based on two research publications from the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS) published in 2015 and 2018. In the 2015 Juristat, CCJS linked police-reported data from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey to court data from the Adult Criminal Court Survey to identify...

The Government of Canada is acting to minimize the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadians. This webpage was created to provide the latest information on legislative and other measures adopted to protect Canadians in response to the pandemic.

In these challenging times, the current COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on families and individuals have given rise to a number of questions regarding child and family support and other Family Law matters. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) provide Canadians with information on Family...

We are working to ensure the Department of Justice work environment remains healthy, safe and secure for our employees during the COVID-19 situation. We are also committed to making sure everyone can easily access the latest confirmed information and guidance from health authorities and...

The Department of Justice is proposing an Open Justice commitment be included in Canada’s 2020-2022 National Action Plan on Open Government. Access to justice and open government are mutually supportive. Access to justice is a fundamental value in Canada, critical to maintaining and...

The Legal Aid Survey was a Canada Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS)/Statistics Canada annual survey on revenues. Expenditures, personnel, and caseload statistics associated with the administration and delivery of legal aid in Canada. The Legal Aid Survey was first conducted in1983-84, and the...

The Legal Aid Survey was a Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS)/Statistics Canada annual survey on revenues, expenditures, personnel, and caseload statistics associated with the administration and delivery of legal aid in Canada. The Legal Aid Survey was first conducted in 1983-84 and...