Engagement Methodology

Justice Canada’s engagement process included the development and implementation of regional and distinctions-based (First Nation, Inuit, Métis) dialogue sessions with Indigenous partners, stakeholders, justice practitioners, provincial and territorial representatives, and other federal government departments, as well as online engagement activities to inform the development of the IJS.

The objective of both Indigenous-led and Justice Canada-led engagement is to develop a culturally appropriate strategy, informed by Indigenous ways of knowing and healing, that includes concrete actions to address systemic discrimination and the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the Canadian justice system.

While there are several different streams of engagement taking place to help inform the development of the IJS, this report only includes information on the engagement led by Justice Canada to consult with Indigenous communities, governments and organizations across the country.

To learn more about Justice Canada’s engagement approach, please consult the IJS Engagement Plan.

Preliminary Discussions

Informal preliminary discussions were held across Indigenous distinctions, regions and socio-demographic communities. The purpose of these discussions was to share, learn, validate and adjust the engagement methodology for developing the IJS. This included informing aspects of the Wave 1 methodology such as format, audience and topics. It also included validating the approach to engagement with Wave 1 representing an open, collaborative dialogue that encouraged sharing across aspects of justice related to the overall objective.

The preliminary discussions helped develop and finalize the two overarching themes that made up the first wave of formal engagement dialogues:

  1. Revitalizing Indigenous legal systems
  2. Making substantive changes to the existing Canadian justice system

Virtual engagement sessions

A total of 26 roundtable discussions that crossed all Indigenous distinctions and regions took place from November 2022 to March 2023. Virtual discussions occurred with Elders, women, youth, Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, plus (2SLGBTQI+) people, as well as Indigenous justice practitioners. Sessions were also attended by Justice Canada, other federal government departments, provincial and territorial government representatives.

First Nations, Inuit, and Métis partners (further divided regionally), as well as the other communities mentioned in the previous paragraph, were invited to participate in a virtual dialogue on each theme. A series of prompting questions, developed for each theme and validated during the pre-briefings (updated throughout Wave 1 based on participant feedback), guided the facilitation. Other techniques, such as breakout rooms and polling, were undertaken to further enhance dialogue and feedback.

An online engagement platform also hosted ideation activities on both themes, open to any person who registered on the site, for the duration of the Wave 1 dialogue sessions.

Upcoming engagement

Wave 2 dialogues are planned for the summer and fall of 2023. They are informed by the themes and issues we heard during the Wave 1 discussions, and will focus more on specific, actionable changes that can be included in the IJS. A virtual Knowledge Sharing Gathering on promising practices and programs was hosted on June 1, 2023. The Gathering had the dual aim of helping to shape possible programs supported by the IJS, while also offering a platform for Indigenous justice workers from across the country to share their practices, and to learn from each other.

In the fall of 2023, Justice Canada will host smaller discussions with focus groups in each province and territory to discuss regional needs and hear about current opportunities and gaps. In addition to these conversations, Justice Canada will be working closely with provincial and territorial governments.

Planned for early 2024, Wave 3 will be the first opportunity for Justice Canada to share the draft IJS with Indigenous partners, provinces, and territories, in order to collect feedback.