Introduction

In January 2021, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada was mandated with developing, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous partners, provinces, and territories, an Indigenous Justice Strategy to address systemic discrimination and the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the justice system.

Aligned with this mandate, from 2021-2024, Canada worked with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis community members, representative organizations and governments, as well as provincial and territorial governments, to develop a federal Indigenous Justice Strategy that would provide a basis for continued collaborative action. Based on these engagement conversations and on reports submitted by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis governments and organizations, Canada developed a Key Elements Consultation Draft as a proposed foundation for an Indigenous Justice Strategy. The Indigenous Justice Strategy is the culmination of, and the first step in responding to these engagement and co-development processes.

Its 26 actions items represent areas of priority identified by Indigenous partners, across distinctions, based on engagements, for addressing systemic discrimination and overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the justice system. Distinctions-based chapters set out priorities for action from First Nations, Inuit and Métis co-development partners. The Indigenous Justice Strategy, including its priority action items and its distinctions-based chapters, are considered interconnected. In this document, references to “Indigenous” or “First Nations, Inuit, Métis” partners include First Nations, Inuit, Métis governments and representative organizations, as well as Indigenous Treaty Partners and Self-Governing Indigenous governments.