Department of Justice Canada

This fact sheet presents information on criminal court cases where the most serious offence in the case is a drug-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...

This report presents findings on the representation and outcomes of Black people as accused in Canadian criminal courts. This is the first time that national statistics on Black accused in criminal courts are reported in Canada.

This fact sheet is based on publicly available data from a number of Justice Canada, Canadian government (federal and provincial/territorial), and academic publications released from 2009 to 2018. This fact sheet also uses data from an internal research report prepared by Justice Canada in 2013....

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.

Recidivism is the act of committing another crime or coming into conflict with the criminal justice system (CJS) again. It is an important measure of the effectiveness of CJS efforts to promote rehabilitation, reintegration, and public safety. This fact sheet is based on publicly available data...

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.

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 Fact Sheet provides general information about spousal support under the Divorce Act. The Divorce Act applies to married couples who are divorcing. Provincial or territorial laws apply to unmarried or common-law couples that are separating and to married couples that are separating but not...

Both parents have a legal obligation to support their children financially after separation or divorce. Children have a legal right to that support. Under the Federal Child Support Guidelines parents need to provide complete and up-to-date income information to ensure a fair amount of support....

This Fact Sheet provides general information about the 2017 update to the Federal Child Support Tables (Federal Tables). The Federal Tables are part of the Federal Child Support Guidelines (regulations under the Divorce Act). The Federal Tables are based on a mathematical formula that takes into...

Divorce and separation can be difficult, especially if you have children. You may feel stressed about the different decisions you need to make about parenting arrangements and financial issues. This document will give you some general information about different types of family dispute resolution...

Acting in the best interests of the child is the number one priority in all family law matters involving children. The new Divorce Act sets out duties for parents and others to help them act in the best interests of the child, including when courts are involved. Changes to the Divorce Act also...

This fact sheet provides information on family violence. Family violence occurs when a person abuses someone in their family. It can happen to anyone - both children and adults. Family violence can be words, acts or even not giving someone the care they need. It may be a single incident, or a...

The Survey of Maintenance Enforcement Programs (SMEP) is an annual survey that collects statistical and descriptive information on child and spousal support payments and cases from maintenance enforcement programs. MEPs exist in every province and territory to assist in the enforcement of child...

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...

These fact sheets are based on data from the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS) Juristat Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2016, 2017, 2020.

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...

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...