Department of Justice Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada
Skip to content | Skip to institutional links

Common menu bar links

Breadcrumb trail

  1. Home
  2. Programs and Initiatives
  3. Programs Branch

Institutional links

Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI)

Quick Links

What is Public Legal Education and Information?

Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) is defined as "an activity that seeks in a systematic way to provide people with the opportunity to obtain information about the law and the justice system in a form that is timely and appropriate to their needs, but does not include advocacy or representation on behalf of individuals, nor the provision of legal advice" (Department of Justice Access to Justice Agreement 2007-2009).

PLEI improves access to justice by giving the public the information that is needed to understand the law, how to deal with the legal issues that affect their lives and how to use the opportunities and the protections offered by the legal system. PLEI has been an effective instrument of choice for meeting the Department's strategic policy objectives since the 1980s. Many areas within the Department currently undertake PLEI activities on an on-going basis to facilitate access to justice for Canadians.

Basically, PLEI represents the bridge between the justice system and Canadians. The Department of Justice adopted a new policy on public legal education and information (PLEI) (PDF Version, 48ko) in November 2009 to align its ongoing PLEI activities with its federal mandate and to guide the development of PLEI across the Department.

Why?

The Department is committed to continuing to play a leadership role to help ensure that Canadians have access to justice. The Department of Justice develops and delivers public legal education and information (PLEI) materials and activities to Canadians as part of its mission to support the Minister of Justice regarding federal mandates and responsibilities, and of the stewardship role it plays in collaboration with provinces and territories with respect to Canada's justice system. The Department recognizes the importance of supporting provincial and territorial governments' efforts on PLEI in view of their responsibilities for the administration of justice, and of working in collaboration with them on the development and delivery of PLEI.

This helps ensure that Canada is a just and law-abiding society with an accessible, efficient and fair system of justice. The Department uses many means to provide PLEI to Canadians.

There are many reasons why public legal information is important:

  • People who come in contact with the system for whatever reason - as an offender, as a victim, as a witness - may not be aware of their obligations or where to get information about their situation.
  • In our justice system, the public is expected to know the law.
  • Knowledge about the law can help people better identify the kind of legal advice or assistance they may require. Public legal information is not intended to replace the services of a lawyer where it is required, but often it is helpful to have information about the law in question, in addition to seeking advice.
  • Having access to information about the law and how to access legal and social resources in the community can be especially important to people who are vulnerable because of language barriers, economic reasons, reasons of discrimination, etc.

How?

Since the mid-1980s, the Department has understood that PLEI activities enhance access to justice by informing and educating people about Canada's law and justice system. The first federal PLEI programs, designed to increase public knowledge of important issues such as drinking and driving, the Divorce Act and child sexual abuse, were launched in 1985. At the same time, the Department also worked with provincial counterparts to establish a network of non-governmental PLEI organizations across Canada.

Today, in addition to its ongoing support to the PLEI network and the in-house development of materials about the justice system and our evolving laws, the Department continues to deliver a variety of PLEI-oriented projects. These include:

In November 2009, the Department adopted a new Policy on Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) (PDF Version, 48ko). The new policy is based on the Department's core mandate "to ensure that Canada's justice system is accessible, efficient and fair." It also includes five principles that broadly describe how to develop and deliver PLEI activities and materials in a way that meets the needs of Canadians. Developed by representatives of the more than 10 areas of the Department that undertake PLEI activities , the Policy is coordinated by the PLEI Coordination and Resource Unit established in Programs Branch.

What?

Today, PLEI is delivered through a variety of activities and in a wide range of locales. Projects and activities include:

  • electronic access to legal information (e.g., Internet);
  • print and audio-visual materials about specific legal issues, such as divorce, child support, family violence, issues relating to victims of crime, Aboriginal persons, young offenders, dispute resolution, etc.)
  • conferences, seminars and workshops on specific legal topics;
  • school-based law courses;
  • interactive learning modules;
  • popular theatre;
  • law lines staffed by people who provide legal information;

Who?

The Department of Justice Canada provides annual funding in each province to one PLEI organization whose designation is recommended by the province. The funding is provided in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Justice Partnership and Innovation Program. In the Yukon, Northwest Territory and Nunavut, PLEI is funded through the Access to Justice Agreements between the respective territorial governments and the Department of Justice Canada.

In addition, the Department also provides project funding to non-governmental organizations to develop and deliver information activities and tools and that qualify for funding from the various funding programs of the Department associated with policy initiatives, namely:

At the federal level, PLEI activities are developed and provided by:

  • the Department of Justice
  • 13 core providers (one per province and territory)
  • a wide variety of partnering or intermediary organizations supported by various funding programs of the Department to develop and provide PLEI activities and tools to communities

PLEI organizations that receive annual funding support from DOJ are:

For information :

PLEI Coordination and Resource Unit
Programs Branch
Department of Justice
284 Wellington Street
Ottawa (Ontario)
K1A 0H8
E-mail: pb-dgp@justice.gc.ca

Date Modified: 2012-09-13

Top of Page
Important Notices