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...

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...

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 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 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...

Between August 2020 and April 2021, the Department of Justice Canada (JUS), in collaboration with the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat at the Department of Canadian Heritage, conducted an engagement process to better understand the challenges facing Black youth who have been in contact with and...

The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) came into force on April 1, 2003 to assist in reducing the notably high Canadian youth custody rate. The YCJA promotes youth rehabilitation and reintegration into society through diversion from the formal justice system and greater community involvement in...

The virtual panel explored how Indigenous justice, RJ or customary law approaches are used in two First Nations and one Inuit context. The panel helped to highlight that while RJ principles may have strong parallels to Indigenous legal principles and traditions, they are not the same thing....

This fact sheet presents information on Canadian federal offenders who were admitted to federal custody between fiscal years 2010/11 and 2019/20 for an offence punishable by a mandatory minimum penalty (MMP) as the most serious offence on sentence. Data were obtained from the Correctional Service...

The Department of Justice Canada Research and Statistics Division, in collaboration with the Coordinating Committee of Senior Officials - Family Justice Research Sub-committee, reviewed research and evaluation studies on the use of technology in the family justice system. The purpose of the...

This study uses data from the Measures to Address Prostitution Initiative (MAPI) to present some of the socio-demographic characteristics and experiences of people who provide or have provided sexual services in Canada’s sex trade and received support services through organizations funded by the...

This report examines the impact of the lack of access to legal aid in family law cases in Canada. The objective is to identify challenges that people face in accessing justice for family law disputes in the absence of legal aid, and to analyze the impacts of the lack of access to family legal aid...

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada released 94 Calls to Action (CTA) to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation. In CTA 40, the Commission focussed on victims’ programs and services by calling on all levels of...

In recent academic, professional and media conversations regarding pre-trial detention in Canada, a new expression has been taking shape. Specifically, an increasing number of people have claimed that “Bail is Broken” in this country. It is likely safe to assume that the generic reference to...

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...