About Us

The Programs Branch is responsible for many grants and contributions programs used by the Department of Justice to achieve its broad objectives. Grants and contributions play a role in the work of the Department by testing various approaches to improving Canada's justice system; by contributing to developing policies; and by supporting the Department's mission of a more accessible, equitable and efficient justice system.

The Branch provides an array of services that include

• developing, designing and analyzing programs and policies;
• reviewing and assessing funding proposals;
• managing and delivering grants and contributions funding program;
• negotiating, monitoring and implementing federal-provincial and territorial funding agreements; and,
• managing and advising on finances with respect to grants and contributions agreements.

To carry out these activities, our multi-disciplinary team has a wide range of skills, experience and academic backgrounds including criminology, sociology, education, law, business administration, and accounting.

Our Mandate

The Programs Branch is dedicated to contributing to the development and maintenance of an accessible and fair Canadian justice system. This is achieved through:

• Ongoing partnerships with provinces and territories and non-governmental organizations;
• Financial support for specific non-governmental organizations (NGOs) engaged in building and disseminating knowledge about the justice system; and,
• Project development and implementation in support of Department of Justice priorities.

Our Programs

The Programs Branch is responsible for a number of programs that provide project funding for justice-related activities to recipients such as non-profit organizations, universities, bands and tribal councils and, in some cases, the provinces and territories. Please click on the links below to find more information on:

• Aboriginal Justice Strategy
• Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Support Fund
• Supporting Families Experiencing Separation and Divorce Fund
• Drug Treatment Court Funding Program
• Justice Partnership and Innovation Program, including
  • Family Violence Initiative
  • Legal Studies for Aboriginal People (LSAP) Program
• Special Advocates Program
• Victims Fund

The Programs Branch is also responsible for developing, negotiating and maintaining funding arrangements for certain justice services between the federal government and the provinces and territories.

Please click on the links below for more information on:

• Aboriginal Courtwork Program
• Access to Justice Services Agreements
• Integrated Market Enforcement Teams Reserve Fund
• Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision Funding Program
• Legal Aid Program
• Youth Justice Services Funding Program

For information on the following programs and initiatives that are not managed by the Programs Branch:

• Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Program
• Child Support
• Francophonie, Justice in Official Languages and Legal Dualism
• Implementation of section 41 of the Official Languages Act
• Policy Centre for Victim Issues
• Youth Justice Initiative

Please click here: http://canada.justice.gc.ca/eng/pi/index.html

How we are structured

The Programs Branch has five directorates -

• Aboriginal Justice Directorate;
• Innovations, Analysis and Integration Directorate;
• Legal Aid Directorate;
• Operations Directorate; and
• Policy Planning Directorate.

Aboriginal Justice Directorate (AJD)

is responsible for the management of the Aboriginal Justice Strategy (AJS) Fund. The AJS supports community-based justice programs which are cost-shared with provincial and territorial governments. The AJS focuses on community-based justice alternatives (mainly diversion) for less serious offences as well as increasing the involvement of Aboriginal communities in the local administration of justice.  Another key component of the AJS is capacity-building which provides training and development to justice programs and assists with program development for communities that do not currently have a program funded through the AJS. The AJS currently has 110 Aboriginal programs that serve nearly 400 Aboriginal communities.
For more information: call 1-866-442-4468 or e-mail ajs-sja@justice.gc.ca.

The Innovations, Analysis and Integration Directorate

is responsible for grants and contributions programs that offer funding to recipients for justice related activities. Funding is provided to a variety of recipients, including individuals, non-profit organizations, universities, tribal councils and bands. Grants and contributions funding is used as a means to :

• test innovative approaches to justice services;
• promote special initiatives;
• inform Canadians on Justice issues;
• serve as a testing ground for a policy or program initiative.

In this way, the Directorate contributes to the process of developing and maintaining policies that contribute to a fair and accessible justice system.

Its programs include: the Justice Partnership and Innovation Program, which includes the Legal Studies for Aboriginal Peoples Program, activities relating to Nunavut, Family Violence, and Canada’s Action Plan Against Racism.

The Programs Branch is also responsible for the delivery of the Victims Fund, which is co-managed with the Policy Centre for Victims Issues, the Child-centred Family Justice Fund which is co-managed with the Family, Children and Youth Section and the Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Support Fund, which is co-managed with the office of La Francophonie, Justice in Official Languages and Legal Dualism.

For more information, call 613 941-4193 or e-mail pb-dgp@justice.gc.ca

The Legal Aid Directorate

is primarily responsible for negotiating, implementing and monitoring federal/provincial/territorial funding agreements respecting legal aid in Criminal Law, Youth Criminal Justice Act and Immigration and Refugee matters. 

In addition the Legal Aid Directorate provides secretariat support to the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Permanent Working Group on Legal Aid. Further, the Legal Aid Directorate manages court-ordered counsel in federal prosecutions as well as contributions to jurisdictions for legal aid in federal prosecutions under public security and anti-terrorism legislation.

For more information, call 613 952-5759 or e-mail pb-dgp@justice.gc.ca

The Operations Directorate

has the lead role in the management of the financial administration of all Grants and Contributions (G&C) programs. The Directorate also leads and manages departmental audits of contributions and performs regular compliance reviews.

For more information: call 613 957-3174 or e-mail pb-dgp@justice.gc.ca

The Policy Planning Directorate

is a centre of excellence for strategic policy analysis, design, development, implementation and monitoring relating to:

• contribution funding support to the provinces and territories for Youth Justice Services, Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision Sentence agreements, the Aboriginal Courtwork Program, the Access to Justice Services Agreements with the territories and the Integrated Market Enforcement Initiative;
• contribution funding support to non-governmental organizations and/or provincial governments through the Drug Treatment Court Funding Program; and
• the Special Advocates Program. 

For more information, call 613-957-6545 or e-mail pb-dgp@justice.gc.ca