United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries

Implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act

The Declaration is about recognizing and respecting the human rights of Indigenous peoples. Justice Canada will continue its broad, inclusive and distinctions-based engagement process with Indigenous rights holders, representative organizations and groups to support the development of a federal Action Plan to achieve the objectives of the Declaration, including measures to ensure that federal laws are consistent with the Declaration.

This initiative will contribute to advancing:

Canadian Indicator Framework
Ambition 10: Canadians live free of discrimination and inequalities are reduced;

UN Global Indicator Framework
Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard.

SDG 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Canadian Legal Problems Survey (CLPS)

The CLPS and related qualitative studies examine the prevalence and nature of serious legal problems Canadians experience, what actions they have taken to attempt to resolve the problems, and the impacts these experiences have on their lives. The results of this research will help to advance understanding of Canadians’ legal needs and gaps in accessing justice. The disaggregated data that is collected on specific populations will help to inform policy development and responses.

This survey will inform our reporting on:

Canadian Indicator Framework
Ambition 16.5, 16.6: Canadians have equal access to justice;

UN Global Indicator Framework
Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all;
Indicator 16.3.3: Proportion of the population who have experienced a dispute in the past two years and who accessed a formal or informal dispute resolution mechanism, by type of mechanism.

Work to Address Overrepresentation in the Criminal Justice System

Addressing the overrepresentation of Indigenous people, Black people and other racialized or marginalized populations in the criminal justice system requires legislative, policy and programmatic responses by a broad range of actors involved in the criminal justice system. Recent federal activities include the introduction of legislation to repeal mandatory minimum penalties for certain offences, promote judicial discretion in sentencing and allow for greater use of conditional sentence orders when appropriate.

This initiative will contribute to advancing:

Canadian Indicator Framework
Ambition 10: Canadians live free of discrimination and inequalities are reduced;
Ambition 16.5, 16.6: Canadians have equal access to justice;

UN Global Indicator Framework
Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard;
Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.

Open Justice Initiative

Justice Canada, in partnership with the RCMP and International Development Research Centre (IDRC), are the leads for commitments included under the Justice theme in Canada’s 2022-2024 National Action Plan on Open Government (NAP).  Progress on implementation of the NAP can be monitored through the National Action Plan on Open Government Tracker. Access to justice and open justice are key to helping individuals and communities across the country have access to the data, information and services they need to identify and effectively resolve their legal problems. This work supports Canada’s commitment to a people-centred approach to justice, made at the 2021 Summit for Democracy, to better understand and meet the legal needs of the people of Canada.

This initiative contributes to advancing:

Canadian Indicator Framework
Ambition 16.5, 16.6: Canadians have equal access to justice;
Ambition 16.7: Canadians are supported by effective, accountable, and transparent institutions;
Ambition 17.1 (SDG 171): Canada fosters collaboration and partnerships to advance the SDGs;
Indicator 17.1.1: Number of open datasets published by the Government of Canada;

UN Global Indicator Framework
Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all;
Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels;
Target 16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.

Work to strengthen the international legal framework to address serious crimes and core international crimes.

Justice Canada actively participates in a variety of international fora (e.g., United Nations, G7, Commonwealth Secretariat, Organization of American States, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)) aimed at improving crime prevention and criminal justice strategies, promoting access to justice, reducing corruption and strengthening cooperation in the fight against serious crime, including terrorism and core international crimes. 

Of particular note, Justice is presently negotiating two international instruments: 

1: a multilateral Convention for International Cooperation in the Investigation and Prosecution of the Crime of Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes that seeks to end impunity for atrocity crimes.

2:  a United Nations Convention to combat Cybercrime that seeks to strengthen the international framework to address cybercrime and improve law enforcement tools for accessing digital evidence.

This work supports Canada’s commitment to improving access to justice, and promoting rule of law and a rules-based international order.

This work contributes to advancing:
Canadian Indicator Framework
Ambition 5.1: Eliminate gender-based violence and harassment
Target 5.1: Fewer women are victims of intimate partner violence and sexual assault
Ambition 16.4: Canadians are safe and secure, in person and online;
Indicator 16.4.1 Incidence of cyber-crime

UN Global Indicator Framework

Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.