Results at a Glance
Through its core responsibilities of Legal Services Delivery and Justice System Support, the Department of Justice Canada supported a broad range of government initiatives and ministerial mandate letter commitments in 2021-22. To ensure strong and evidence-based public policy and good governance, the Department applied a range of critical considerations, which included legal risk analysis; diversity and inclusion using Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) tools; privacy; modern treaty implications; and strategic environmental assessments.
The following provides an overview of the Department of Justice Canada’s key achievements in 2021-22 for each of its core responsibilities, as well as its internal services.
Legal Services
The Department supported the implementation of Government of Canada priorities through the delivery of high-quality, integrated legal services – specifically, advisory, litigation and legislative services.
Key achievements:
- Provided legal advice to federal departments and agencies, in support of the Government’s actions to fight the COVID-19 pandemic including measures to limit the spread of the virus (including emergency orders, test kit distribution, normalizing temporary regimes, procurement of medical supply and vaccines, increasing vaccine-manufacturing capacity and implementing vaccine mandates), assist Canadians in need (including implementing social benefit programs and ensuring health care to Indigenous communities), and support Canada’s economic recovery.
- Provided litigation services, consistent with the Attorney General of Canada’s Directive on Civil Litigation Involving Indigenous Peoples, including playing an important role supporting Indigenous Services Canada in the resolution of significant class actions relating to drinking water on reserve.
- Supported the Government’s commitments on firearms control. Justice Canada helped prepare for the tabling of Bill C-21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms), which proposes significant changes to address handguns, trafficking and smuggling, and intimate partner violence.
- Provided legal advice to amend the Public Service Employment Act. Amendments to address employment equity, diversity and inclusion objectives came into force in 2021-22, including measures to identify and remove biases or barriers that disadvantage members of employment equity designated groups.
Justice System Support
The Department played an essential role in promoting respect for rights and in ensuring a fair, relevant and accessible legal framework and justice system that support alternative ways of responding to the causes and consequences of offending.
Key achievements:
- Introduced criminal justice system reform and supported Parliament in considering two criminal justice system reform bills: Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Canada Labour Code, to enhance protections for health care workers and to ensure safe access to health services; and Bill C-4, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy), banning the harmful practice of conversion therapy. Both received Royal Assent in December 2021.
- Funded Indigenous-led engagements that will inform the development of an Indigenous Justice Strategy to address the systemic discrimination and overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system.
- Advanced implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, which received Royal Assent in June 2021. This included creating and staffing a new Secretariat to fully support the implementation work happening with Indigenous partners and across all government departments; launching a broad and inclusive engagement process, along with a call for proposals to support Indigenous participation and Indigenous-led consultations to help shape the initial draft of an action plan and possible measures for aligning federal laws with the UN Declaration.
- Continued to support the Government’s Agenda on Reconciliation by advancing Justice Canada’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action. This included providing funding to support revitalization of Indigenous legal traditions, engaging with Indigenous leadership and experts to develop a proposed mandate for the Special Interlocutor, who will work with Indigenous peoples to develop a framework in relation to unmarked burials and gravesites associated with residential schools, as well as advancing administration of justice in Indigenous communities.
- Continued to lead the policy facet of the Privacy Act modernization initiative towards the goal of tabling further legislation, through a focused Indigenous engagement strategy and extensive interdepartmental collaboration. Two reports were shared with Indigenous partners to ensure their voices were accurately heard: What We Have Heard and Next Steps.
Internal Services
The Department promoted legal and business excellence, with a strategic focus on its workforce, on innovation and collaboration, and on open, transparent and accountable operations.
Key achievements:
- Ensured departmental readiness to respond to changing circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, using tools such as surveys to assess ongoing and evolving employee needs.
- Continued to foster a work environment that is healthy and safe, both psychologically and physically, and also respectful, inclusive, and accessible, through the following initiatives: the departmental Mental Health Action Plan for 2020-23; Justice Canada’s Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Results Framework 2021-2024; and the development of both the 2022-25 Employment Equity Plan and the Accessibility Plan.
- Promoted digital approaches and strategies such as improving network infrastructure and adopting new software and reliable digital platforms.
For more information on the Department of Justice Canada’s plans, priorities and results achieved, see the “Results: What We Achieved” section of this report.
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