Department of Justice Canada

The Department of Justice Canada (JUS) began a review of the criminal justice system (CJS) in 2015 to support the mandate of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (Office of the Prime Minister, 2015). The performance of the system was a key focus. The State of the Criminal...

All Canadians should have an awareness and understanding how new laws and regulations are created. To get started, download and share our infographic and check out the links below for related information.

This report, which is tabled under section 20 of the Service Fees Act and section 4.2.8 of the Directive on Charging and Special Financial Authorities, contains information about the fees that the Department of Justice had the authority to set in 2019–20. Government of Canada departments may set...

In Winter 2019, the Research and Statistics Division of the Department of Justice Canada engaged the authors to write a “think piece” focused on the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Call to Action (CTA) 34, and more specifically, 34.4. The objective was to “engage with experts in FASD [Fetal...

The Criminal Code is a federal law that includes definitions of most of the criminal offences that the Parliament of Canada has enacted. It is often updated as society evolves and to improve the Canadian criminal process.

Individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a common neurodevelopmental disability (NDD) caused by prenatal alcohol exposure, face high rates of criminal justice system contact and are overrepresented in correctional and forensic settings. As a result, forensic mental health...

This report presents the findings of a gap analysis of specialized services for victims and survivors of online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) in Canada. The analysis took place between March and July 2019 and was conducted to identify existing specialized support services for victims...

This Fact Sheet provides general information about child support under the Divorce Act.

This Fact Sheet provides general information about getting a divorce in Canada under the federal Divorce Act. This Act applies when at least one spouse has resided in a Canadian province or territory for at least one year before they apply for a divorce.

This literature review addresses the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the Canadian criminal justice system. It examines the extent of overrepresentation, its underlying causes, and some initiatives taken to address the issue. The report also identifies gaps in the efforts to address...

In January 2011, federal-provincial-territorial (FPT) Deputy Ministers responsible for Justice and Public Safety approved the creation of a joint family and criminal Ad Hoc Working Group on Family Violence to examine how the family, child protection, and criminal sectors of the justice system...

The Canadian Victim Services Indicators (CVSI) survey was developed as part of a longer term project to improve information on the provision of victim services in Canada. In an effort to identify data opportunities that could be used to measure the impact of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights...

This report highlights some key findings of the 2018 National Family Law surveys of family law professionals in Canada. The data provide insights into the experiences, practices, and issues among legal professionals working in the Canadian family justice system. Since 1998, the Department of...

On November 29, 2021, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada introduced a bill to criminalize so-called conversion therapy practices in Canada. Conversion therapy is a practice that seeks to change an individual’s sexual orientation to heterosexual, to change an individual’s...

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...

Indigenous people are overrepresented in Canada's criminal justice system as both victims and offenders. National data on Indigenous people in the criminal justice system includes data on self-reported victimization , police-reported homicide, and provincial/territorial and federal custody. In...

This report summarizes discussions held during the roundtables. It highlights best practices, challenges and suggested improvements. It highlights best practices, challenges and suggested improvements. This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of Canada. The purpose...

This paper provides an overview of the Supreme Court of Canada's findings in its December 20, 2013 Bedford decisions and explains the basis for the Government's legislative response: Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, which received Royal Assent on November 6,...

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 views expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Justice Canada. This paper examines three questions – what is an “honour killing”, in order to establish the definition used in the paper; where does it occur, looking at...