1. Introduction
The Department of Justice Canada is a medium-sized government department, comprising approximately 5,600 employees. Roughly half of the Department’s staff are legal counsel and the other half is composed of a broad range of professionals: policy analysts, strategic advisors, researchers, social scientists, program managers, paralegals, communications specialists, executives and administrative personnel.
In addition to its headquarters in Ottawa, the Department provides services across the country through six regional offices: Atlantic Region, Quebec Region, Ontario Region, Prairie Region, British Columbia Region and Northern Region. Staff from these regional offices generally provide legal services and support to federal departments and agencies outside of the National Capital Region.
The Department was officially established in 1868, when the Department of Justice Act was passed in Parliament. The Act lays out the roles and responsibilities of the Department as well as those of the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of Canada.
The Department supports the dual roles of the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of Canada. Under Canada’s federal system, the administration of justice is an area of shared jurisdiction between the federal government and the provinces and territories. The Department supports the Minister of Justice in his responsibilities for over 50 federal statutes, for advancing policy in areas such as criminal law (including youth criminal justice), federal family law, human rights law, official languages, Indigenous justice, public law and private international law, as well as ensuring a bilingual and bijural national legal framework.
The Department also supports the Attorney General of Canada as the chief law officer of the Crown, both in terms of the ongoing operations of government and of the development of new policies, programs and services for Canadians. The Department responds to the legal needs of federal departments and agencies by providing legal advice, representing the Crown in all litigation and drafting all federal legislation.
The Department of Justice fulfils three distinct roles within the Government of Canada, acting as the following:
- A policy department with broad responsibilities for overseeing all matters relating to the administration of justice that fall within the federal domain–in this capacity, it helps to ensure a fair, relevant and accessible justice system for all Canadians;
- A provider of a range of legal advisory, litigation and legislative services to federal government departments and agencies; and
- A central agency responsible for supporting the Minister in advising Cabinet on all legal matters, including the constitutionality of government initiatives and activities.
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