2. Program Profile

2.1 Funding Stream Descriptions

In January 2021, the Joint Declaration for a Canada Free of GBV was endorsed by the federal, provincial, and territorial ministers responsible for the status of women. It laid out the Framework for Joint Action, identifying the vision, goals, pillars, and foundation for the ten-year National Action Plan to End GBV (National Action Plan). The National Action Plan builds on existing federal, provincial, and territorial approaches and strategies to prevent and address GBV in Canada. It is a strategic framework for action within and across jurisdictions, with the goal of supporting victims, survivors, and their families, no matter where they live.

The two JPIP funding streams, ILA/ILR and Additional Supports, contribute to the federal government’s priority to advance the National Action Plan by acknowledging that “everyone in Canada needs strong, safe communities to call home and that women’s safety must be the foundation on which all progress is built.” ILA/ILR and Additional Supports received funding through Budget 2021 with the Government of Canada investing $51.25M over five years. This funding was provided through JPIP, which is a grants and contributions (Gs&Cs) program that supports Justice Canada’s policy directions on family violence, access to justice, and other emerging justice-related issues.

The specific JPIP outcomes for ILA/ILR and Additional Supports funding streams are intended to support victims of IPV through increased access to GBV resources and family justice services and supports leading to better experiences for victims in the justice system.

In addition, ILA/ILR and Additional Supports projects are intended to contribute to broader JPIP family violence outcomes related to:

Increased engagement with stakeholders/communities to address the needs/issues of those affected by family violence.
Enhanced awareness and understanding of family violence and the justice system.

ILA/ILR

This funding stream provides access to free ILA/ILR for victims of IPV.

ILA involves providing tailored legal advice regarding the various legal options available along with the nature and potential consequences of a specific decision. The advice is considered independent given the legal counsel is only working in the interest of the specific individual and is a member, in good standing, of a law society and independent from the government.
ILR involves providing an individual with legal counsel to represent their specific interests in criminal and family law matters.

The main objective of this funding stream is to reduce the re-traumatization often faced by victims of IPV when engaging with the justice system, and work towards increasing confidence in the justice system’s response to GBV. Funding supports a variety of activities, such as developing and delivering training to criminal and family justice professionals on the legal frameworks and unique dynamics inherent in IPV. Funds are also used to support the creation of pilot programs to provide victims of IPV with ILA/ILR in order for them to make informed decisions and navigate the criminal or family justice system in the aftermath of their victimization.

Additional Supports

The main objective of this funding stream is to improve support and access to justice for victims of IPV who are involved in the family justice system.

This funding stream supports a range of activities that contribute to achieving this objective, including:

Expanding and/or developing and implementing models for Family Court Support Workers or similar models, to provide services that help victims of IPV navigate the family justice system;
Developing and implementing models for court-appointed counsel to conduct cross-examination in family law cases involving family violence where one or both parties are not represented by counsel;
Promoting the use of tools to identify family violence in family law cases; and
Improving coordination between different parts of the justice system in cases involving family violence (e.g., between family and criminal justice systems).

2.2 Resources

The total transfer payment budget for the two JPIP funding streams during the years covered by the evaluation (2021-22 to 2024-25) is $39.16M. The total combined salary, operations and maintenance (O&M) budget and employee benefits plan (EBP) from 2021-22 to 2024-25 was $506,128. The breakdown by FY is presented in Table 1 below.

Table 1: GBV Initiatives (JPIP) Funding Allocated, FY 2021-22 to 2024-25
Category	FY 2021-22	FY 2022-23	FY 2023-24	FY 2024-25	Four-Year Total
Contributions	$2,650,000	$10,250,000	$12,850,000	$13,410,000	$39,160,000
Salary^{Footnote 1}	$93,816	$93,816	$93,816	$93,816	$375,264
EBP^{Footnote 2}	$25,330	$25,330	$25,330	$25,330	$101,320
O&M	$7,386	$7,386	$7,386	$7,386	$29,544
Totals	$2,776,532	$10,376,532	$12,976,532	$13,536,532	$39,666,128
Table 1 footnotes Footnote 1 of Table 1 Salary includes one full-time equivalent position. Return to footnote 1 referrer of Table 1 Footnote 2 of Table 1 Comprehensive EBP rate of 27% aligns with external reporting (Public Accounts). Return to footnote 2 referrer of Table 1 Note of Table 1 Source: Integrated Financial and Material System (IFMS).

2.3 Overview of Funded Projects

In June 2021, two call for proposals (CFPs) were launched by the program for ILA/ILR and Additional Supports.

The CFP for ILA/ILR used a targeted approach for projects to develop or enhance ILA/ILR programs using two separate funding streams, one for survivors of sexual assault and the other for survivors of IPV. This resulted in some projects being jointly funded by JPIP and the Victims Fund due to services being offered to both victims of sexual assault and IPV. The lengths of the projects were based on the activities and budget proposed, with a maximum of five years of funding available (i.e., funds ending as of March 31, 2026). Three types of applicants could apply, which included: (1) provincial and territorial governments, (2) public legal education and information (PLEI) organizations, and (3) legal clinics.

In total, 18 ILA/ILR projects received funding approval, comprising of five provincial and territorial governments (i.e., Nunavut, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan and Quebec) and 13 non-profit organizations and legal clinics.

Of note, eight out of the 13 non-profit organizations and legal clinics included projects that were jointly funded between JPIP and the Victims Fund given they provide services to both survivors of sexual assault and survivors of IPV.

Initially, Additional Supports used an invitational CFP, inviting only provincial and territorial governments to submit applications. Similar to ILA/ILR, the length of projects was also based on the particular activities and budget proposed, with a maximum of five years of funding available. Through this first CFP, five projects received approval. Given funds remained available after the initial invitational CFP, an open CFP was launched in November 2021, with an expanded list of eligible applicants, which included non-profit organizations, legal clinics, judges’ and lawyers’ associations, family justice organizations, family dispute resolution associations, academic/research institutions, and Indigenous organizations, bands, tribal councils, and governments. Through this second CFP, 13 projects received approval, with five of those projects being short-term in nature (i.e., for one FY 2022-23^{Footnote 2}). In total, 24 Additional Supports projects received funding.

Four key considerations were included in both the ILA/ILR and Additional Support CFPs as follows:

Gender-based approach

Projects were required to integrate a gender-based approach that took into account relevant intersectional factors, such as race, class, sexuality, age, disability, language, and/or immigration status, etc., to address the experiences of victims of IPV.

Trauma-informed practice

Projects needed to apply a client-centred model that was built on knowledge regarding the impact of violence and trauma on people’s lives and health, to foster an environment based on safety, respect and empowerment.

Cultural sensitivity

Projects were required to demonstrate, directly or through partnerships with other organizations, their experience, knowledge, and understanding of culture as it pertains to the implementation of their project.

Official languages

Outreach to official language minority communities was encouraged in support of section 41 of the Official Languages Act. The goal was to enhance understanding of Justice funding programs along with establishing contacts between organizations to ensure needs of these communities are considered in proposed projects.

As noted in Table 2, the largest portion of funding for ILA/ILR projects was allocated to legal clinics and non-profit organizations, while family-related organizations (i.e., family justice and family dispute resolution) received the largest portion of funding for Additional Supports projects.

Table 2: Number of Funded Projects, by Funding Stream
Funding Recipients	ILA/ILR		Additional Supports
	Number of Funded Projects	Percentage of Total Approved Funding^{Footnote 2}	Number of Funded Projects	Percentage of Total Approved Funding^{Footnote 2}
Academic institution	NA^{Footnote 1}	NA	2	8%
Family dispute resolutions organization	NA	NA	NA	NA
Family justice organization	NA	NA	1	4%
Indigenous organization	NA	NA	2	8%
Legal association	NA	NA	2	8%
Legal clinic	6	33%	1	4%
Non-profit organization	6	33%	7	29%
PLEI	1	6%	NA	NA
Provinces and territories	5	28%	9	37%
Total	18	100%	24	100%
Table 2 footnotes Footnote 1 of Table 2 (NA) refers to not applicable. Return to footnote 1 referrer of Table 2 Footnote 2 of Table 2 Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding. Return to footnote 2 referrer of Table 2 Note of Table 2 Source: Gs&Cs Information Management System.

Date modified:: 2025-11-20

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