Evaluation of the Justice Partnership and Innovation Program

The overall objective of the Justice Partnership and Innovation Program (JPIP) is to support the policy directions of the Department of Justice on issues related to access to justice, family violence, missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG)/violence against Indigenous women, and the harmonization of private international law. The Program provides funding in support of stimulating knowledge development and dissemination, promoting partnership building and collaboration, and building community capacity.

What was found

• There is a continued need to support the types of initiatives funded by JPIP. Examples include: addressing family violence and violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada; and providing financial assistance to Indigenous students in their pursuit of a law career which contributes to reducing the educational disparities that Indigenous students experience. The program also addresses the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
• The Program assists with core operations and ongoing and new activities that contribute to building knowledge, awareness, and understanding of justice issues within Canada.
• The program objectives also align with government priority areas – such as the Action Plan to address Family Violence and Violent Crimes Against Aborignal Women and Girls – and departmental policy areas related to family violence, human rights law, public law, private law, private international law, and Indigenous justice.
• Program funding supports Canada’s interests in international fora. Canada’s participation in international initiatives put forth by non-governmental orgaizations such as the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law or the Hague Conference on Private Law ensure that Canada can contribute its expertise and influence the outcomes of such initiatives.
• The Program improves knowledge, understanding and skills which leads to increased access to justice for vulnerable populations, justice stakeholders and other service providers.
• The Program contributes to a strengthened legal framework through the positive influence that funded initiatives have on informational, policy, procedural, or legislative changes that provide Canadians with greater access to justice.
• JPIP has implemented several measures for efficient program management and generally meets departmental service standards.

Recommendations:

• Further streamline objectives and clarify expected outcomes.
• Strengthen performance measurement to ensure that data is regularly available and addresses the intended outcomes of the Program by:
• Encouraging  named grant organizations to report annually on their performance using a consistent approach determined by the Program;
• Revising reporting templates to collect some performance and results data in a manner more conducive to aggregation (for example, on the reach of initiatives) in order to facilitate performance reporting; and
• Monitoring and reporting regularly on aggregate key performance data.

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About the evaluation

The Department of Justice Canada’s programs are evaluated every five years to meet the accountability requirements of the Treasury Board’s Policy on Results, address requirements of senior management, and inform the renewal of programs and agreements.

The evaluation covers fiscal years 2012–13 to 2016–17, using information collected through six lines of inquiry to assess the relevance and performance of the Program. 

For the full report, please visit the Evaluation Division website.