2019–20 Departmental Results Report
Minister's Message
I am pleased to present the Department of Justice Canada’s 2019-20 Departmental Results Report for the reporting period of April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020.
This report provides detailed information on the Department’s achievements in providing high quality advisory, legislative, programming, and litigation services in support of the Government of Canada’s priorities.
A significant part of our work in this reporting period focused on Indigenous rights and access to justice. As part of the Government’s commitment to advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples through a renewed, nation-to-nation, government-to-government, and Inuit-Crown relationship, the Department of Justice Canada continued to provide support for the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as the Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s Calls to Action in regard to the administration of justice.
With the Department’s legal advice and support, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada negotiated and signed self-government agreements on core governance matters with the Métis Nation of Alberta, Métis Nation of Saskatchewan, and Métis Nation of Ontario – a milestone in Canada’s effort to begin the reconciliatory process with Métis peoples. Furthermore, the Department extended funding to the family information liaison units that provide specialized services to families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
To foster discussion and exchanges on Indigenous laws and legal traditions in order to advance reconciliation and ensure that Indigenous perspectives are reflected in the Canadian justice system, the Department hosted a symposium on Indigenous justice systems and brought together Indigenous leaders and law students, other experts in the field, and government officials from across Canada and beyond.
Another substantial part of the Department’s work over the year was devoted to the goal of transforming the criminal justice system and fostering public safety and security. This included working with provincial and territorial partners to develop and implement legislation to strengthen, transform and modernize the criminal justice system by reducing court delays and by addressing many issues that have disproportionate impacts on overrepresented and vulnerable populations in the system, while maintaining the safety of victims and the public.
The modernization of Canada’s family justice system to make it more accessible, efficient, and responsive to Canadian families’ needs is of critical importance. The Department was instrumental in bringing changes to federal family law, the first substantive update in 20 years. The updated Divorce Act will promote children’s best interests, encourage out-of-court methods of dispute resolution, address family violence, reduce child poverty, and make Canada’s family justice system more accessible, efficient and affordable for all.
To help provide equal access to justice, as well as to support and protect the most vulnerable, the Department provided funding to support a number of the Government’s initiatives. These included addressing sexual harassment in the workplace; providing support for children, youth victims, and witnesses of abuse and violence; and improving access to justice for women and children and members of minority communities.
The Department introduced legislation to change the Criminal Code provisions on medical assistance in dying in order to support greater autonomy and freedom of choice for eligible persons and provide safeguards to ensure the continued protection of vulnerable individuals and the equality rights of all Canadians. The Department worked towards criminalizing aspects of conversion therapy to protect the dignity and equality rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and two-spirit (LGBTQ2) persons. The Department also tabled legislation so that judges would have the necessary training to understand the complex nature of sexual assault and the myths that too often surround them, which is integral to building public confidence and sexual assault survivors’ confidence in the criminal justice system.
The Department also continued to advance approaches to litigation strategies that promote resolving cases out of court and are consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Attorney General’s Directive on Civil Litigation involving Indigenous Peoples, and related legal principles and guidelines.
The Department played a crucial part in the Government’s response from the pandemic’s earliest stages by providing essential legal analysis and advice to the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, Finance Canada, and a wide range of other federal departments and agencies. We drafted key regulations and legislation within exceptionally tight time frames – notably the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, which guaranteed the rapid implementation and administration of measures to protect Canadians’ health and safety and stabilize the Canadian economy.
Our work is not done. We will continue to develop, advance, and support legislation aimed at helping Canadians and their communities by upholding the rule of law and better protecting Indigenous and individual rights and vulnerable populations.
I would like to thank all Department of Justice Canada employees for the outstanding quality of their work and their profound commitment to serving the public, especially during these unprecedented times. Their efforts to support the Government of Canada and make the justice system more efficient, fair, and accessible continue to benefit Canadians across the country.
The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., Q.C., M.P. Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
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