Introduction

1.1 Purpose of the Evaluation

This report presents the results of the evaluation of the Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Initiative (hereafter the Initiative). The evaluation was undertaken as part of the Department of Justice Canada 2019-20 to 2023-24 Integrated Audit and Evaluation Plan and was conducted in accordance with the Treasury Board’s Policy on Results and the Financial Administration Act. The evaluation was also designed and planned to align with the broader accountability process related to the Action Plan since the Initiative is part of two of the plan’s pillars: Strengthening our Communities and Access to Services.

1.2 Evaluation Scope

The scope of the evaluation was determined based on a review of available information, as well as consultations with stakeholders regarding issues and questions of interest. In doing so, it included considerations related to GBA+. It also considered and built upon the two previous evaluations of the Initiative that were conducted in 2012 and 2017.

The evaluation covers four fiscal years, namely the period from 2017-18 to 2020-21. It focusses on the results achieved through the two main pillars (information and training), while also exploring the activities undertaken in support of the Advisory Committee and the Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Working Group. In addition, the evaluation includes questions concerning the relevance of the Initiative, particularly in light of the needs in regions with smaller concentrations of official language minority communities (OLMCs), as well as the needs of underserved populations such as visible minorities and new immigrants, which have been identified as a priority for the Initiative. It also assessed activities undertaken by the Official Languages Directorate and the Programs Branch’s Innovations, Analysis and Integration Directorate (IAID) to support the implementation and management of the Initiative.

Finally, the scope of this evaluation considered other planned evaluations to ensure there was no duplication or overlap. Recent changes to the Divorce Act, which add official language provisions, are largely excluded from the current evaluation as these will be covered in the Evaluation of the Federal Support for Family Justice (policy component) scheduled for 2024-25.