Department of Justice Canada

The Department of Justice Canada created the first performance monitoring framework (“the Framework”) for Canada’s criminal justice system in 2019. The Framework identified broad expected outcomes, measured by key indicators. The State of the Criminal Justice System Report presents quantitative...

The Department of Justice Canada funds projects through the Youth Justice Fund that seek to help youth who are involved in the criminal justice system (CJS). The Youth Justice Fund provides grants and contributions to projects that encourage a more effective youth justice system, respond to...

With funding from the Department of Justice, two family law professors developed guidelines in an effort to make spousal support more predictable and consistent. The Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines suggest appropriate ranges of support in a variety of situations for spouses entitled to...

The purpose of this report, commissioned by the Research and Statistics Division of the Department of Justice, is to review and update changes to open court and victim privacy principle since 2003, which was the year that Victim Privacy and the Open Court Principle report was written (hereinafter...

As part of the Government of Canada’s Victims of Crime Initiative, the Policy Centre for Victim Issues was created in 2000. In that same year, I completed a report for the Department of Justice entitled “The Role of the Victim in the Criminal Process: A Literature Review – 1989 to 1999.” I was...

Black people are overrepresented in Canada's criminal justice system as both victims and people accused or convicted of crime. This fact sheet presents a statistical overview of the key areas of overrepresentation of Black people at different stages of the criminal justice system. National...

The Accessible Canada Act (2019) requires that Federal Departments publish Accessibility Plans. However, the mission behind this Plan goes far beyond meeting a requirement. The Act and this Plan push us toward a better future for our country – one where everyone can take part fully in society....

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...

This Research in Brief describes navigator programs in Canada, a people-focused approach to enhancing access to justice by providing assistance to those with serious legal problems. The Department of Justice Canada uses a definition of access to justice that is broad and recognizes the importance...

This fact sheet is based on data from the 2021 Canadian Legal Problems Survey (CLPS) undertaken by Statistics Canada and commissioned by Justice Canada. The CLPS is a legal needs or legal problems survey; these surveys are done in countries around the world to measure the incidence of legal...

The Open Government Implementation Plan (OGIP) for Justice Canada describes the approach the Department will take to meet the requirements of the Directive on Open Government. This is the OGIP that was written by Justice Canada in 2015. Since this was written, we have changed some of our...

The Department of Justice supports the Attorney General as a chief law officer of the Crown both in terms of the ongoing operations of the government as well as the development of new policies, programs and services for Canadians to support the Government's priorities. The Department provides an...

Restorative Justice (RJ) is based on an understanding that crime causes harm to people and relationships, and it affects communities. RJ is an approach to justice that seeks to repair harm by providing an opportunity for those harmed and those who take responsibility for the harm to communicate...

This study examines the way courts have applied hate as an aggravating factor at sentencing (subparagraph 718.2(a)(i) of the Criminal Code). The main purpose of this research was to identify the most common characteristics of offenders and victims of hate crimes, to identify the most frequent...

The objective of this project is to collect and collate research, describe existing methods to include the children’s voices in family law in Canada (and internationally where relevant), to identify themes, and to develop a comprehensive and accessible literature review. This review provides...

This fact sheet presents information on criminal court cases where the most serious offence in the case is a child-related sexual offence subject to a mandatory minimum penalty (MMP). Data were obtained through a request to the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics (CCJCSS)...

This fact sheet presents information on criminal court cases where the most serious offence in the case is a firearm-related offence subject to a mandatory minimum penalty (MMP). Data were obtained through a request to the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics (CCJCSS) 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...