2018-19 Departmental Plan

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Minister's Message

I am pleased to present the Department of Justice’s Departmental Plan for 2018-19.

Our 2018–19 Departmental Plan provides parliamentarians and Canadians with information on the work of the Department and our plans and priorities for 2018-19. The report describes the actual results we are striving to achieve, describing our programs and services for Canadians, our priorities, and our progress meeting my mandate commitments and the Government’s priorities.

I am very proud of what we have accomplished so far. In the year ahead, Justice will continue to play a central role in supporting the Government’s overall priorities.

A key priority continues to be a renewed relationship with Indigenous peoples. The Department is fully supporting the Prime Minister and the Government of Canada in developing—in full partnership with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples—a Recognition and Implementation of Rights Framework that reflects the vision of section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. This new relationship will also be reflected in our approach to litigation as we consider the policy, financial, and legal implications through a recognition of rights lens. In addition, we will apply an inclusive lens to our policy and legal work to support reconciliation.

We will also continue to focus on transforming the criminal justice system and strengthening human rights and respect for the rule of law. We are committed to a criminal justice system that is just and fair, one that promotes the safety of Canadians within a peaceful and prosperous nation while addressing the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups. Accordingly, we will continue to support and develop restorative justice approaches, with a focus on repairing the harm that crime causes to individuals and the community. As we take steps to transform the criminal justice system and promote public confidence, my department and I will continue the review of laws and policies set out in the Prime Minister’s mandate letter instruction and we will work with provinces, territories, and other partners in the justice system and beyond.

Budget 2018 confirmed support for the administration of justice and the court system, including commitments to expand Unified Family Courts by creating 39 new judicial positions in several provinces and to add new positions to Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal in Saskatchewan. Identifying qualified judicial candidates who are representative of Canada’s diversity will continue to be a high priority, reflected in the Budget’s provision of additional funding to the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs. Moreover, we will be addressing the challenge of the growing and increasingly complex caseload that faces the federal courts by providing increased funding to help the Courts Administration Service to improve caseload management.

Justice will provide essential support to help the Government fulfill its commitment to upholding the Constitution and the rule of law, as well as advancing related domestic and international legal and policy interests through the development of public law policy. We remain determined to provide the Government with the best possible legal services—including both the full range of legal advice and support and, in my capacity as Attorney General of Canada, the conduct of litigation on behalf of the Government—with integrity and excellence. We will also play a central role in responding to new issues as they arise. The process of legalization and regulation of cannabis is one such area that we are monitoring with sustained care and diligence.

We are committed to ensuring that legislation meets the highest standards of equity, fairness and respect for the rule of law and that it respects the principles and values of the Charter. The guiding principles of gender-based analysis will continue to be applied in all the Department’s work, in the provision of legal services to other departments, and in advice to Cabinet.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the creation of the Department of Justice. As in the past, we will continue to play a role in addressing the evolving concerns of Canadian society. This includes working to ensure that the justice system is fair, timely, relevant and accessible to all and that it supports alternative ways of responding to the causes and consequences of offending. We will continue to promote access to justice, including supporting the Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Support Fund, as indicated in Budget 2018.

As Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, I look forward to moving ahead on our priorities. I am confident that the Department can continue to serve Canadians and meet its planned results in the year ahead.

Gilakas'la.

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