Overview of the 2018-19 Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory

The Departmental Results Framework consists of the department's Core Responsibilities, Departmental Results and Departmental Result Indicators.

The Program Inventory identifies the programs that contribute to the department's Core Responsibilities and Results.

Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory, describe below
Text version - Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory

Core Responsibility 1: Legal Services

Departmental Results Framework

Departmental Result: Departments and agencies receive high quality legal services.

Indicators

  • Client satisfaction mean rating of 8.0 (or greater) on a 10-point scale on the overall quality of legal services.
  • Client satisfaction mean rating of 8.0 (or greater) on a 10-point scale on the performance of legal services against the Service Standards for the Provision of Legal Services in Government.
  • Percentage of litigation files resolved in a fiscal year that have a successful outcome (settled or adjudicated) from the Crown’s perspective.

Program Inventory

Programs

  • Advisory Services
  • Litigation Services
  • Legislative Services

Core Responsibility 2: Justice System Support

Internal Services

Departmental Result: Justice Canada laws and policies abide by the rule of law and promote respect for rights and a fair, accessible and relevant legal framework in Canada.

Indicators

  • Canada’s international ranking with respect to the rule of law.
  • Percentage of public that perceive that the criminal justice system is fair, equitable and accessible.
  • Number of constitutional challenges in the provincial and territorial courts of appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Departmental Result: The criminal justice system supports alternative ways of responding to the causes and consequences of offending.

Indicators

  • Number and type of restorative justice programs/processes available.
  • Number of people who have used the available restorative justice programs/processes.
  • Number/percentage of court imposed community based sentences as compared to number/percentage of incarceration sentences.
  • Percentage of individuals who were referred to an Indigenous Justice Program and participated in the Program.
  • Percentage of youth court cases receiving a non-custodial (community-based) sentence as compared to previous reported years.
  • Percentage of identified, eligible Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision cases receiving specialized treatment.

Departmental Result: Canadians in contact with the justice system have access to appropriate services enabling a fair, timely and accessible justice system.

Indicators

  • Percentage of federal funds accessed by provinces, territories, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders to deliver targeted services consistent with federal priorities.
  • Percentage of Indigenous Courtwork Program clients indicating a level of satisfaction of “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the usefulness of the information provided.
  • Number of times duty counsel provide assistance in criminal matters.
  • Number of full service criminal legal aid applications approved.
  • Percentage of Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime (OFOVC) client inquiries or complaints that are assessed and acted upon.

Program Inventory

Programs

  • Legal Policies, Laws and Governance
  • Legal Representation
  • Drug Treatment Court Funding Program
  • Contraventions Regime
  • Victims of Crime
  • Youth Justice
  • Family Justice
  • Indigenous Justice
  • Justice System Partnerships
  • Ombudsman for Victims of Crime

Core Responsibility: Legal Services

Description

The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada provides legal services to the federal government and its departments and agencies. The Minister is responsible for seeing that the administration of public affairs is in accordance with the law. The Minister is also responsible for examining all government bills and all government regulations for consistency with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Additionally, the Attorney General is responsible for advising the heads of departments on all matters of law and for conducting all litigation for federal departments or agencies on subjects within the authority or jurisdiction of Canada.

Departmental Results and Indicators

Departments and agencies receive high quality legal services.

Program Inventory

Advisory Services

Legal advisory services are integral to Justice Canada’s role in supporting the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada as Government’s chief law officer in terms of ongoing governmental operations and in the development of legislation, policies, programs and services for Canadians. Legal professionals provide high quality bilingual and bijural legal services to federal government officials in support of the implementation of governmental priorities, often through policy and legislative development. They work in departmental legal services units (DLSUs), regional offices, or specialized central units. By being co-located with their client departments and agencies and exposed to their daily activities, DLSU professionals have an in-depth understanding of their client business and expertise in their relevant areas of the law. Regional professionals offer an expertise that takes into account regional considerations while professionals in specialized central units offer deep subject matter expertise and a government-wide perspective. Professionals delivering legal advisory services work with their Justice colleagues to ensure the integration and coherence of advisory, legislative, policy and litigation advice in specific legal areas. Legal advisory services assist the Government in achieving its objectives in accordance with the law and in ensuring that it meets its constitutional obligations including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and international obligations. Legal professionals also provide assistance to the Government in identifying and managing its legal risks thus helping governmental decision-makers in factoring legal risks and implications into their chosen courses of action in delivering policies, programs and services to Canadians.

Litigation Services

Litigation services are integral to Justice Canada’s role in supporting the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada as Government’s chief law officer and as the officer responsible for the conduct of all litigation on behalf of the government of Canada. Under this program, legal professionals provide high quality bilingual and bijural litigation services to the federal government. They work with their colleagues across Justice to ensure the coherence and coordination of litigation, advisory, legislative, and policy in specific legal areas. Litigation services assist the Government in achieving its objectives in accordance with the law and in ensuring that it meets its obligations under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and other constitutional and international obligations. This includes providing litigation services before all courts and before administrative and inquiry bodies, domestically and internationally. It also includes representing the federal government in the resolution of litigious or potentially litigious matters, using appropriate dispute prevention and resolution methods to promote early settlement, gathering and challenging evidence in accordance with applicable rules of evidence, and developing legal positions and making submissions in order to preserve the interests of client departments and agencies and those of the federal government as a whole.

Legislative Services

This program provides a range of legislative services to the government. These include the drafting and revision of government bills and government motions to amend Government and Private Members bills before Parliament as well as the drafting, examination and revision of proposed regulations and other statutory instruments. This program is also responsible, on behalf of the Minister of Justice, for ensuring that Government bills, regulations and other statutory instruments are reviewed in light of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Bill of Rights. The program also provides revision services related to new and existing statutes and regulations and is particularly responsible for the harmonization of existing statutes and regulations with respect to principles, concepts and institutions of the civil law of Quebec and of the common law applicable elsewhere in Canada, with special attention to the vocabulary of each legal tradition, in both official languages. The program is also responsible for the official publication of statutes following royal assent and for the publication of related tables as well as the updating, consolidation and publication of an official electronic version of the federal statutes and regulations.

Core Responsibility: Justice System Support

Description

The Department plays an essential role in ensuring a fair, relevant and accessible Canadian justice system. This is a shared responsibility among a broad range of players, including Parliament, the judiciary, federal departments and agencies, partners in provincial, territorial and municipal governments, a broad range of non-governmental organizations and stakeholders, and, ultimately, all Canadians.

Departmental Results and Indicators

Justice Canada laws and policies abide by the rule of law and promote respect for rights and a fair, accessible and relevant legal framework in Canada.

The criminal justice system supports alternative ways of responding to the causes and consequences of offending.

Canadians in contact with the justice system have access to appropriate services enabling a fair, timely and accessible justice system.

Program Inventory

Legal Policies, Laws and Governance

The Department develops and coordinates all federal justice legislative reforms, policy options, and initiatives that promote a fair, accessible and relevant justice system for the benefit of Canadians. This includes the areas of judicial affairs, criminal justice, victims of crime, youth justice, family justice, official languages, contraventions, bijuralism, Indigenous justice, human rights, privacy, access to information, security, and terrorism as well as legislative and regulatory processes. The Department monitors developments in law, policy and procedure; develops and implements options for legal, enforcement and policy reforms through legislation; develops and provides information and services to implement new and existing policies and laws; and provides advice to other federal departments and agencies in matters related to justice-related laws and policies. As the administration of justice is an area of shared jurisdiction, the Department works closely with the provinces and territories in support of their responsibility for the day-to-day administration of justice. The Department supports the Minister of Justice throughout the Cabinet and Parliamentary processes with respect to both justice reforms and Parliamentary business involving justice matters such as private members’ bills and Parliamentary reviews. Furthermore, the Department supports the government's international priorities related to justice - namely, the provision of policy advice in the development of Canada's international justice policies, the negotiation within bilateral or multilateral fora of international norms, treaties and conventions, the development of legal cooperation programs as well as the provision of legal technical assistance to foreign countries seeking to reform their justice system.

Legal Representation

The Department supports access to justice and the efficient functioning of the Canadian justice system. The Department provides contribution funding to the Provinces and Territories to help ensure that economically disadvantaged individuals have access to legal advice, representation and information for criminal law, youth criminal justice, and immigration and refugee matters. Provinces, territories, or their legal aid service delivery entities also receive funding for the management and delivery of state-funded counsel, which includes court-ordered counsel in federal prosecutions, and legal aid in national security matters. In addition, grants and contributions funding is also made available to other recipients to support: (1) Special Advocates in Division 9 proceedings under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; and (2) the prosecution of capital market fraud cases.

Drug Treatment Court Funding Program

The Department provides grants and contributions funding to provinces and territories through the Drug Treatment Court Funding Program to promote and strengthen the use of alternatives to incarceration for non-violent drug addicted offenders.

Contraventions Regime

The Contraventions Act provides an alternative to the summary conviction process set out in Part XXVII of the Criminal Code for prosecuting certain federal offences. The Department manages the Contraventions Act Fund that provides funding to provinces, territories and municipalities where the Contraventions Act is implemented so that they can fulfill linguistic duties on behalf of the federal government delivering judicial and extra-judicial measures in a manner consistent with the applicable language rights set out in sections 530 and 530.1 of the Criminal Code and in Part IV of the Official Languages Act.

Victims of Crime

The Department, through grants and contributions funding, aims to improve access to justice for victims and survivors of crime. As part of the Federal Victims Strategy, the Department provides funding to provincial and territorial governments and non-governmental organizations to increase awareness and knowledge of victim issues, legislation and services available, as well as to develop and deliver victim programs, services and assistance to meet gaps in services for victims of crime. Funding is also available to establish specialized services for families of missing or murdered Indigenous women. The Department also provides direct, limited, emergency financial assistance to individual victims in certain specified circumstances, including travel for registered victims to attend Parole Board of Canada hearings and support for Canadians victimized abroad.

Youth Justice

The Department promotes the protection of the public by supporting programs and services which are consistent with the objectives of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The Department provides contribution funding to the provinces and territories for programs and services aimed at youth in conflict with the law which encourages their accountability, rehabilitation and reintegration into the community; promote diversion from the formal court process where appropriate; and reserve custody for the most serious offenders. Funding is also provided to the provinces and territories for specialized therapeutic programs and services for youth with mental health needs who are convicted of a serious violent offence. Finally, funding is available to a wide range of recipients for projects which encourage a more effective youth justice system, respond to youth justice issues and enable greater citizen and community participation in the youth justice system. Such projects include programs specifically aimed at youth in conflict with the law, training for justice professionals and youth service providers and research.

Family Justice

The Department, through grants and contributions funding, provides support to Canadians experiencing separation and divorce by facilitating effective delivery of programs and services, such as parent education, mediation, support enforcement and child support recalculation, and developing family law information and training resources. Family justice funding assists the provinces and territories to develop and provide family justice services and programs that are aimed at enhancing the capacity of parents to reach appropriate custody, access and support agreements and comply with those agreements. Federal funding also assists non-government organizations in developing family law information and training resources, supports implementation of the Department’s legislative obligations and policy priorities in the area of family justice, and provides support to program evaluation by collecting and reporting on the funding data.

Indigenous Justice

The Department contributes funding to the provinces and territories for programs and services which provides culturally appropriate assistance to Indigenous people navigating the criminal justice system. The Department also provides funding to a range of recipients who deliver programs which provide culturally relevant alternatives to the mainstream justice system for Indigenous people. Finally, the Department provides contribution funding to the territories to help ensure that Northern residents have access to legal representation and advice as well as information on the justice system.

Justice System Partnerships

The Department is dedicated to contributing to the development and maintenance of an accessible and fair Canadian justice system. This is achieved through: ongoing partnerships with the provinces and territories; financial support for specific non-governmental organizations engaged in building and disseminating knowledge about the justice system; and, project development and implementation in support of Department of Justice priorities. The Justice Partnership and Innovation Program support policy directions of the Department on issues related to family violence, missing and murdered Aboriginal women/violence against Aboriginal women and girls, access to justice, the harmonization of private international law and to support partnerships that contribute to building awareness, knowledge, understanding, and engaging the public and justice stakeholders in order to identify viable changes related to justice issues. Furthermore, the Department provides support to improve access to justice in both official languages from both a system and communities perspective through the Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Support Fund.

Ombudsman for Victims of Crime

The Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime was created to provide a voice for victims of crime at the federal level and to ensure that the federal government meets its commitments to victims. The Office provides direct information, referral and complaint-review services to its primary clients – victims, victims’ family members or representatives, victim-serving agencies, and other related stakeholders. The Office also helps raise awareness of systemic issues among all criminal justice and victim-serving personnel as well as provides related recommendations and advice to the Government of Canada through the Minister of Justice. In order to fulfill its mandate, the Office promotes access by victims to existing federal programs and services for victims; addresses complaints of victims about compliance with the provisions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, promotes awareness of the needs and concerns of victims and the applicable laws that benefit victims of crime, including Canadian Victims Bill of Rights and the principles set out in the Canadian Statement of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime; identifies and reviews emerging and systemic issues that negatively impact victims of crime; and facilitates access by victims to existing federal programs and services by providing them with information and referrals. The Ombudsman reports directly to the Minister of Justice and, as such, the Office falls outside the Department’s governance framework.