Department of Justice Canada’s 2025–26 Departmental Plan

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From the Minister

I am pleased to present the Department of Justice Canada’s 2025-26 Departmental Plan. This plan sets out our key priorities and outlines our work to ensure a fair, accessible and relevant justice system in Canada, as well as to keep everyone in Canada safe in their communities.

The Department supports a wide range of Government of Canada priorities by delivering high-quality, integrated legal advisory, litigation, legislative and other professional services, as well as providing programs and services to support the justice system.

In the coming year, Justice Canada will focus on a number of key initiatives: supporting victims and survivors of crime, keeping Canadians safe in our communities and online, addressing racism and systemic discrimination, improving access to justice, including through legal aid funding, and supporting the needs of the courts.

The Department will contribute to the development of initiatives to reduce organized crime and gang activity in Canada, support the Government’s efforts to compensate lawful owners of prohibited assault-style firearms, and address ongoing and evolving security issues in Canada and abroad. In addition, the Department will continue to support the Government of Canada’s commitment to address hate crime in Canada through legislative initiatives and programs.

On December 17, 2024, Canada reached an important milestone in improving access to justice for persons who may have been wrongly convicted: David and Joyce Milgaard’s Law received royal assent. We are advancing the process of creating an independent Miscarriage of Justice Review Commission dedicated to reviewing potential cases of wrongful convictions.

In the coming year, the Department will support the Government of Canada’s commitment to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan. Based on the Final Report of the Special Interlocutor, the Government of Canada will develop a meaningful response that addresses the harmful legacy of residential schools and includes cooperation among Indigenous, federal and provincial governments, communities and religious institutions, among others. We will also turn our efforts to advancing a regional and distinctions-based approach to the Indigenous Justice Strategy.

In terms of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy, the Department will advance its implementation plan to help reduce the overrepresentation of Black people in the criminal justice system, including as victims and survivors of crime.

A key pillar of access to justice is a robust legal aid system. The Department is increasing funding for criminal legal aid in all provinces and territories and immigration and refugee legal aid in eight provinces where services are available.

Justice Canada will also continue to provide legal services to support the Government of Canada’s forward regulatory agenda, the implementation and evolution of existing legislative regimes, and the development of any new legislative initiatives.

We are living through unique and challenging times. Yet, I am confident that we can rise to this pivotal moment in our country’s history. This includes standing up for the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the rule of law, equality and human rights; ensuring our communities are safe and secure; and building accountability and trust in our government and our justice system.

I encourage everyone to read this Departmental Plan to learn more about how we will contribute to building the best country in the world by upholding the rule of law, protecting our democratic institutions, and reinforcing the unity of Canada.

The Honourable Sean Fraser, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

The Honourable Sean Fraser, P.C., M.P.

The Honourable Sean Fraser, P.C., M.P.

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Plans to deliver on core responsibilities and internal services

Core responsibilities and internal services

Core responsibility 1: Legal Services

Description

The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada provides legal services to the federal government and its departments and agencies. The Minister is responsible for seeing that the administration of public affairs is in accordance with the law. The Minister is also responsible for examining all government bills and all government regulations for inconsistency with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Additionally, the Attorney General is responsible for advising the heads of departments on all matters of law and for conducting all litigation for federal departments or agencies on subjects within the authority or jurisdiction of Canada.

Quality of life impacts

By providing legal services to its clients, this core responsibility contributes to the Quality of Life Framework for Canada domains and indicators related to the clients’ priorities and commitments, such as the “Good Governance” domain and the indicator “Indigenous self-determination”.

Indicators, results and targets

This section presents details on the Department’s indicators, the actual results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, and the targets and target dates approved in 2025–26 for Legal Services. Details are presented by departmental result.

Table 1: Departments and agencies receive high quality legal services
Table 1 provides a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under Legal Services.
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results Target Date to achieve target
Client satisfaction mean rating on the overall quality of legal services. 2021–22: 8.6Footnote 1
2022–23: 8.6Footnote 2
2023–24: 8.7Footnote 3
8 or greater on a 10-point scale March 2026
Client satisfaction mean rating on the provision of legal services against the Service Standards. 2021–22: 8.8Footnote 4
2022–23: 8.7Footnote 5
2023–24: 8.8Footnote 6
8 or greater on a 10-point scale March 2026
Percentage of litigation files resolved in a fiscal year that have a successful outcome (settled or adjudicated) from the Crown’s perspective. 2021–22: 92%
2022–23: 90%
2023–24: 93%
85% or greaterFootnote 7 March 2026

Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for Justice Canada’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

The following section describes the planned results for Legal Services in 2025–26.

Departments and agencies receive high quality legal services

Justice Canada will provide integrated legal advisory services, litigation services, legislative drafting and regulatory drafting services to federal departments and agencies to support their priorities.

Justice Canada will continue to ensure that its legal services, including its legal advice and litigation strategies, are consistent with:

Indigenous rights and the path to reconciliation

Justice Canada will provide whole-of-government legal services to its clients on initiatives that contribute to the Government of Canada’s reconciliation agenda, such as those related to:

Notably, Justice Canada will provide legal services to:

  • Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Indigenous Services Canada in support of initiatives such as:
    • Nunavut devolution, by which the Government of Canada officially transfers responsibilities over land, resource management, and rights in respect of waters to the Government of Nunavut.
    • The resolution of specific claims, which are claims made by First Nations against the Government of Canada relating to the administration of land and other First Nation assets and to the fulfilment of historic treaties and other agreements.
    • The co-development of reforms to improve the Specific Claims Policy and process.
    • The co-development of policy options for a redesign of the federal Addition to Reserve Policy, which aims to streamline the process of creating and adding land to reserves.
    • The implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, including initiatives related to missing children and unmarked graves and burial sites associated with Indian Residential Schools.
    • Economic reconciliation and Indigenous business development.
    • The long-term reform of Indigenous Services Canada’s First Nations Child and Family Services Program and the long-term approach to Jordan’s Principle.
  • Fisheries and Oceans Canada with respect to the management of Canadian fisheries and aquaculture, including the negotiation and implementation of fisheries agreements with Indigenous communities and the enhanced involvement of Indigenous peoples in the management of aquaculture.

Safety and security

Justice Canada will provide legal services to client departments and agencies on priorities concerning public safety and security, including:

  • Canadian Heritage in relation to addressing the rise of hate crime and hate speech in Canada.
  • Federal government officials in the continued development of new policies and legislation to reduce organized crime and gang activity in Canada, including by addressing money laundering and creating a new Financial Crime Agency, as well as to ensure the integrity of financial institutions and the safety and security of the financial system.
  • Public Safety Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to support the Government of Canada’s firearms commitments, including a program to fairly compensate lawful owners of prohibited assault-style firearms for the deactivation or destruction of these firearms.
  • Public Safety Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on key policing priorities, including new approaches to federal policing in Canada and public safety issues relevant to Indigenous communities, such as policing and by-law enforcement.
  • Public Safety Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Canada Border Services Agency, Communication Security Establishment Canada, National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces on ongoing and evolving security issues in Canada and abroad, including in the context of national security reviews and the Foreign Interference Commission.
  • Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada for the coming into force of the National Security Review of Investments Modernization Act to address economic-based threats to national security.
  • The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada (OSFI) with respect to their expanded mandate and powers through the Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1. These include an increase in the OSFI’s oversight in determining whether financial institutions have adequate policies and procedures to protect themselves against threats to their integrity and security, such as foreign interference.

Economic resilience

Justice Canada will provide legal services to federal client departments and agencies in support of their initiatives to build a stronger economy and to help make life more affordable for Canadians, such as:

  • Canada Revenue Agency in its commitment to protect the integrity and fairness of Canada’s tax system by combatting tax evasion and avoidance, as well as in its commitment to ensure the integrity of the benefits system so that Canadians have access to the benefits and credits for which they are eligible.
  • Finance Canada on matters relating to housing affordability, healthcare, dental care, tax policy, and legislative drafting services relating to federal taxation.
  • Public Services and Procurement Canada to establish the Public Lands for Homes Plan, which explores opportunities to turn public lands into housing.
  • Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada on housing and homelessness initiatives.
  • Health Canada on the new long-term Canadian Dental Care Plan and its implementation.
  • Finance Canada in its responsibility for the public debt, including the management of legal risks associated with the issuance of bonds and the design and implementation of new debt instruments.
  • Federal officials in the preparation of legislation related to the implementation of Budget 2025 and in the preparation of Budget 2026.

Regulatory and legislative amendments

Justice Canada will provide legal services to federal client departments and agencies in support of their initiatives aiming to modernize Canada’s regulatory system and legislative framework, including:

  • Federal departments and agencies on the Regulatory Reviews, which examine existing regulations and regulatory practices, identify novel regulatory approaches to support economic growth and innovation, and find ways to enable regulations to be more agile, transparent and responsive, while continuing to protect the health, safety and security of Canadians and the environment. This work will continue as the regulatory modernization agenda is updated following the consultation on the Annual Regulatory Modernization Bill: Keeping Pace with Change and the third round of Regulatory Reviews.
  • Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada in relation to the modernization of Canada’s private sector privacy law and regulations surrounding artificial intelligence systems.
  • Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat as it undertakes the next statutory review of the Access to Information Act.
  • Global Affairs Canada and other departments and agencies to pursue the identification, seizure, forfeiture and redistribution of assets seized under Canada’s sanctions legislation.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

To support the Government of Canada’s commitment to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in the public service, Justice Canada will:

  • Provide support to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, as the employer for the core public administration, in support of the promotion and implementation of the Clerk of the Privy Council’s Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service.
  • Provide support to client departments in hiring, retention, career advancement and establishment of a mental health fund for Black public servants.
  • Support the restorative engagement process and actions taken to further address harassment, discrimination, violence and other barriers in the federal workplace.
  • Support the Government of Canada in implementing the Pay Equity Act in the public service.
  • Provide legal advice to the Public Service Commission of Canada on the renewal of Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities to make the federal public service more inclusive and representative of the diversity of the Canadian population.

Other legal services and support

Justice Canada will also provide legal services to:

  • The Clerk of the Privy Council and the Privy Council Office, as well as other federal departments on questions and litigation involving Cabinet confidences.
  • Federal departments and agencies in the advancement of digital government and the modernization of the delivery of government benefits and services to better serve Canadians, which includes expanding data availability and open data initiatives.
  • Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat in their collaboration with Employment and Social Development Canada towards a common and secure approach to a trusted digital identity platform for Canadians.
  • Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Canadian Heritage in the implementation of An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada’s Official Languages.
  • Public Services and Procurement Canada to ensure the ongoing delivery of defence procurements in support of Canada’s 2024 defence policy, Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence.
  • Public Services and Procurement Canada’s efforts to modernize Canada’s procurement system, including its contract modernization initiative, the Harmonized Procurement Regulations and electronic procurement system implementation.
  • Federal client departments in their efforts to meet Canada’s climate and environmental objectives, such as Environment and Climate Change Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s objective to ensure that the Government of Canada meets its goals to conserve 25% of Canada’s lands and waters by 2025 and 30% by 2030.

Litigation strategies and positions

Justice Canada will continue to manage litigation and legal issues horizontally through collaboration and engagement within Justice Canada’s litigation review process and strengthen the strategic management of high-profile litigation cases and high-volume litigation cases, including by:

  • Collaborating with federal departments and agencies on cross-governmental and whole-of-government litigation positions that favour, where possible: early resolution or settlement, opportunities to narrow litigation issues, resolution through government initiatives, and legislative and regulatory reform.
  • Working with federal departments and agencies through senior strategic committees to support the review of litigation strategies and the consideration of policy, financial and legal implications of complex litigation involving the Government of Canada.
  • Building partnerships and relationships with departments through joint learning sessions.

Key risks

Cultivating and maintaining productive relationships with client departments, partners and stakeholders enables Justice Canada to achieve its expected results. As legal practices, client priorities and demands for legal services continue to evolve, Justice Canada could face new challenges in meeting client expectations in some areas and delivering effective and fiscally sustainable services. Renewed emphasis on these relationships is necessary to navigate new situations, find ways to work better, and strive for excellent results and outcomes for those who use the Department’s services.

The Department will advance its priority of strengthening strategic partnerships with clients by continuing to enhance its business processes, provide meaningful legal risk assessments, and be a trusted and collaborative partner. Justice Canada will continue to focus on regular collaboration and joint planning with client departments and partners in central agencies to align priorities and manage demand, including by identifying trends or developments that may result in changes in legal demands. Through the ongoing implementation of the Justice Canada Legal Risk Framework, the Department will assess and communicate legal risks in a client-centric manner that supports informed decision-making. Justice Canada will also continue to capture feedback through the Legal Services Client Feedback Survey to identify any areas for improvement to ensure services are aligned with client needs.

The Department will continue to manage internally focused areas of strategic risk related to cybersecurity, employee wellness, data and information, and the workplace of the future. These risk areas, which could impact the Department’s capacity to delivery legal services, are being addressed through priorities and strategies outlined in the Internal Services section of this Departmental Plan.

Planned resources to achieve results

Table 2: Planned resources to achieve results for Legal Services
Table 2 provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.
Resource Planned
Spending $280,270,671
Full-time equivalents 4,051

The complete financial and human resources information for Justice Canada’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Related government priorities

Gender-based Analysis Plus

Supported by internal Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) guidance, outlined in the GBA Plus Guide for Canada’s Legal Team, Justice Canada will continue to incorporate intersectional considerations in its legal work, as applicable, and in decision-making processes to ensure inclusive and equitable outcomes for all. To support this work, Justice Canada will continue to promote awareness of GBA Plus and develop targeted training and best practices to support the application of an intersectional lens in legal services.

For more information and examples, see the 2025–26 Departmental Plan GBA Plus Supplementary Information Table on the Justice Canada website.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Justice Canada will continue to lead the Government of Canada’s efforts to advance Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 “Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions”, including by continuing the International Assistance Group’s efforts as Canada’s central authority for extradition and mutual legal assistance, which includes reviewing and coordinating mutual legal assistance and extradition requests made by or to Canada, as well as supporting efforts to further strengthen Canada’s Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Regime, and participating in multilateral fora to improve international law enforcement and prosecution cooperation in relation to these and other serious transnational crimes.

Justice Canada will support other SDGs by providing legal services to client departments on their initiatives, such as those relating to housing needs, health care, and dental care (SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being) and those that promote climate action and sustainability (SDG 13: Climate Action).

More information on Justice Canada’s contributions to Canada’s Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be found in the Justice Sustainable Development Strategy.

Innovation

Justice Canada will continue innovating to ensure that high quality legal services are delivered to clients by enabling departmental digital and data capabilities and strengthening the use of data to drive decision-making. For example, Justice Canada will:

  • Expand the use of new technologies and artificial intelligence to streamline administrative processes and improve search and analytical capabilities, including by developing artificial intelligence tools that will assist in legislative drafting, case law analysis, and the identification of potential bijural issues in current federal legislation.
  • Support the courts in transitioning to electronic processes as a means of conducting litigation, and support modes of proceedings where counsel can appear remotely rather than in person.
  • Develop tools that support litigation teams, which will enhance reporting to clients, the digitization and management of physical records, and secure document sharing.

Program inventory

Legal Services is supported by the following programs:

  • Advisory Services
  • Litigation Services
  • Legislative Services

Additional information related to the program inventory for Legal Services is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.

Core responsibility 2: Justice System Support

Description

The Department plays an essential role in ensuring a fair, relevant and accessible Canadian justice system. This is a shared responsibility among a broad range of players, including Parliament, the judiciary, federal departments and agencies, partners in provincial, territorial and municipal governments, a broad range of non-governmental organizations and stakeholders, and, ultimately, all Canadians.

Quality of life impacts

This core responsibility primarily contributes to the “Good Governance” domain of the Quality of Life Framework for Canada and the indicators “Access to fair and equal justice (civil and criminal)”, “Indigenous self-determination”, “Personal safety” and “Resolution of serious legal problems”.

Indicators, results and targets

This section presents details on the Department’s indicators, the actual results from the three most recently reported fiscal years, and the targets and target dates approved in 2025–26 for Justice System Support. Details are presented by departmental result.

Table 3: Justice Canada laws and policies abide by the rule of law and promote respect for rights and a fair, accessible and relevant legal framework in Canada
Tables 3, 4, and 5 provide a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under Justice System Support.
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results Target Date to achieve target
Canada’s international ranking with respect to the rule of law 2021–22: 8.6% (12th/140)Footnote 8
2022–23: 8.5% (12th/142)Footnote 9
2023–24: 8.5% (12th/142)Footnote 10
Top 10% March 2026
Percentage of Canadians who have confidence that the Canadian criminal justice system is fair to all people 2021–22: 50% of Canadians have moderate to high confidence that the criminal justice system is fairFootnote 11
2022–23: 50% of Canadians have moderate to high confidence that the criminal justice system is fairFootnote 12
2023–24: Not availableFootnote 13
70% or greaterFootnote 14 March 2026
Percentage of Canadians who have confidence that the Canadian criminal justice system is accessible to all people 2021–22: 58% of Canadians have moderate to high confidence that the criminal justice system is accessibleFootnote 15
2022–23: 58% of Canadians have moderate to high confidence that the criminal justice system is accessibleFootnote 16
2023–24: Not availableFootnote 17
70% or greaterFootnote 18 March 2026
Number of constitutional challenges in the provincial and territorial courts of appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada 2021–22:
Provincial/territorial courts of appeal: 17
Federal Court of Appeal: 1
Supreme Court of Canada: 4
2022–23:
Provincial/territorial courts of appeal: 35
Federal Court of Appeal: 4
Supreme Court of Canada: 3
2023–24:
Provincial/territorial courts of appeal: 35
Federal Court of Appeal: 0
Supreme Court of Canada: 5
Not applicableFootnote 19 Not applicable
Table 4: The criminal justice system supports alternative ways of responding to the causes and consequences of offending
Tables 3, 4, and 5 provide a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under Justice System Support.
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results Target Date to achieve target
Number of restorative justice programs available 2021–22: 462
2022–23: 431Footnote 20
2023–24: 394Footnote 21
400 or greater March 2026
Percentage of adult court cases which received a non-custodial sentence 2021–22: 62%Footnote 22
2022–23: 61%Footnote 23
2023–24: Not availableFootnote 24
Between 52% and 56% March 2026
Percentage of youth court cases which received a non-custodial sentence 2021–22: 91%Footnote 25
2022–23: 92%Footnote 26
2023–24: Not availableFootnote 27
85% or greater March 2026
Number of youths receiving specialized treatment through the Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision (IRCS) programFootnote 28 2021–22: 107Footnote 29
2022–23: 113Footnote 30
2023–24: 124
90 or greater March 2026
Table 5: Canadians in contact with the justice system have access to appropriate services enabling a fair, timely and accessible justice system
Tables 3, 4, and 5 provide a summary of the target and actual results for each indicator associated with the results under Justice System Support.
Departmental Result Indicators Actual Results Target Date to achieve target
Percentage of federal funds accessed by provinces, territories, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders to deliver targeted services consistent with federal priorities 2021–22: 97%
2022–23: 99%Footnote 31
2023–24: 99%
Between 97% and 100% March 2026
Number of Indigenous people who received services from an Indigenous courtworker 2021–22: 70,163
2022–23: 82,054
2023–24: Not availableFootnote 32
80,000 or greaterFootnote 33 March 2026
Number of times duty counsel provides assistance in criminal matters 2021–22: 836,147Footnote 34
2022–23: 1,109,380Footnote 35
2023–24: Not availableFootnote 36
1,000,000 or greater March 2026
Number of full-service criminal legal aid applications approved 2021–22: 211,623Footnote 37
2022–23: 222,708Footnote 38
2023–24: Not availableFootnote 39
210,000 or greaterFootnote 40 March 2026
Percentage of Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime client inquiries or complaints that are assessed and acted upon 2021–22: 100%
2022–23: 100%
2023–24: 100%
100% March 2026

Additional information on the detailed results and performance information for Justice Canada’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Plans to achieve results

The following section describes the planned results for Justice System Support in 2025–26.

Justice Canada laws and policies abide by the rule of law and promote respect for rights and a fair, accessible and relevant legal framework in Canada.

Indigenous justice, laws and policies

Justice Canada will continue to contribute to a renewed relationship with Indigenous peoples, including through ongoing collaboration with federal, provincial and territorial government partners and in consultation and cooperation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis rightsholders and other Indigenous representative organizations, by:

  • Continuing to work with Indigenous partners, along with lead federal departments and agencies, to prioritize and sequence the implementation of the 181 measures in the UN Declaration Act Action Plan. In addition to leading on 18 Action Plan measures, Justice Canada will:
    • Play a lead role in coordinating and supporting whole-of-government implementation.
    • Provide guidance to departments on assessing consistency of federal laws with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
    • Support the creation and operation of a new Action Plan Advisory Committee whose membership includes Indigenous experts nominated by Indigenous partners. This committee will provide advice and guidance, upon request, on the implementation of shared priorities included in the Action Plan.
    • Provide funding, through the Indigenous Partnership Fund, to support ongoing consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples, their capacity for sustained contributions, and their continued participation in implementing the UN Declaration Act and the Action Plan.
  • Advancing the implementation of the federal Indigenous Justice Strategy, co-developed with First Nations, Inuit and Métis, to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system.
  • Continuing to advance innovative approaches to support the revitalization of Indigenous laws, legal systems and traditions.

Through the above priorities, among others, Justice Canada will continue accelerating progress on the implementation of the justice-related Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, as well as the broader Federal Pathway and MMIWG National Action Plan.

Criminal justice system reforms

To advance criminal law reform and strengthen the criminal justice system, Justice Canada will:

International collaboration on criminal justice issues

In addition to supporting Canada’s engagement within organizations such as the United Nations, Council of Europe, Group of Seven (G7), Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Organization of American States (OAS), and the Commonwealth, Justice Canada will support Canada’s criminal justice priorities internationally and ensure that Canadian values are considered in the development of international norms and standards on crime prevention and criminal justice by:

  • Supporting efforts to ensure a strong international legal framework governing accountability for crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide and other international crimes.
  • Strengthening bilateral collaboration with key allies, such as the United States in the annual Canada–U.S. Cross-Border Crime Forum, to enhance law enforcement cooperation.
  • Leading Canada’s participation in relation to the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
  • Supporting efforts to ensure a strong international legal framework governing international cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of cybercrime and cyber-related crime, that appropriately safeguards fundamental human rights and privacy interests.
  • Supporting the implementation of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution on Equal Access to Justice for All (A/RES/78/227).
  • Supporting Canada’s 2025 G7 presidency and certain ministerial meetings.
  • Supporting the Federal-Provincial-Territorial meetings of Ministers and Deputy Ministers Responsible for Justice and Public Safety on joint priorities.

Justice system initiatives

Justice Canada will continue to support a variety of ongoing initiatives that inform policy and program development, implementation and delivery. For example, the Department will:

The criminal justice system supports alternative ways of responding to the causes and consequences of offending

Specialised services and programs

Justice Canada will continue to provide funding support to provinces and territories for the delivery of services and programs in areas related to the Canadian justice system, including:

Through the Indigenous Justice Program, Justice Canada will continue to promote restorative justice and traditional Indigenous justice processes in the criminal justice system, including by:

  • Providing financial support to Indigenous community-based justice programs that address the root causes of offending and reflect their community’s justice values, traditions and culture.
  • Working with Indigenous partners to support the implementation of Gladue principles, particularly funding community-based justice programs to provide Gladue aftercare to assist individuals who have had a Gladue report in meeting the conditions of their sentence and implementing a recommendation from their report.
Canadians in contact with the justice system have access to appropriate services enabling a fair, timely and accessible justice system

Victims and survivors of crime

Justice Canada will continue to implement the Federal Victims Strategy to increase access to justice for victims and survivors of crime and give them a more effective voice in the criminal justice system. Specific emphasis will be placed on implementing the victims-focused priorities in government commitments, federal strategies and national action plans, such as the Federal Pathway, MMIWG National Action Plan, and Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate.

Justice Canada will support initiatives that will be delivered across Canada to increase awareness about victims’ needs, rights, and available services, conduct capacity-building activities, and explore opportunities to strengthen victims’ rights. Aligned funding and policy work will include:

  • Supporting projects, through the “Supporting Indigenous Victims of Crime” initiative, that improve the availability of, and increase access to, Indigenous-led, culturally safe and trauma-informed services, supports and activities that reflect community needs.
  • Addressing the ongoing and emerging needs of victims and survivors of hate crimes, through financial assistance programs and compensation for victims of hate-motivated crime and by providing specialized training to Crown prosecutors and increasing the awareness of the judiciary about the unique dynamics of hate crime.

The Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime (OFOVC), an institution that operates at arm’s length from the Government of Canada, works with stakeholders and clients to inform its recommendations to the federal government on intimate partner violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and femicide. Notably, the OFOVC will:

  • Continue to provide information, referrals and complaint-review services directly to victims of crime, their family members or representatives, victim-serving agencies, and other stakeholders.
  • Identify issues and trends that may negatively impact victims, and work to ensure that policy makers and other criminal justice personnel are aware of victims’ needs and concerns.
  • Continue to increase awareness of victim issues in the criminal justice system, advise on changes to the Criminal Code and enhance victims’ and survivors’ access to their rights under the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights, which reaches its 10th anniversary in 2025.
  • Release the final report from a systemic investigation on how survivors of sexual violence are treated in the Canadian criminal justice system. The report will provide actionable recommendations to integrate a trauma-informed and victim-centred approach in the criminal justice system, marking a pivotal step towards meaningful reform.

Other programs and services

Justice Canada will continue to support activities that respond to the changing conditions affecting the Canadian justice system through various funding mechanisms, including:

  • The Indigenous Courtwork Program, which will continue to work with Indigenous, provincial and territorial partners to implement the ongoing funding announced in Budget 2024 to support the delivery of Family Courtwork services.
  • The Legal Aid Program, which provides funding to provincial and territorial governments and legal aid service providers for the provision of criminal legal aid and immigration and refugee legal aid services to economically disadvantaged persons.
  • The Justice Partnership and Innovation Program, which supports projects that improve access to justice through legal education, information and advice, particularly for racialized and Indigenous communities, victims of intimate partner violence, tenants navigating tenant legal matters. Funding will also continue to support Community Justice Centre pilots, which integrate justice services with social and health services to address the root causes of crime.
  • The Legal Support and Awareness to Address Workplace Sexual Harassment initiative, through renewed funding that will support organizations that provide legal advice to people, particularly those in vulnerable groups, who have experienced workplace sexual harassment, in addition to supporting public legal education and information projects for employees and employers.
  • The Canadian Family Justice Fund, which supports activities and projects that facilitate access to the family justice system for families experiencing separation and divorce. The fund also supports activities that aim to expand the ability of provinces and territories to provide supervision services for the exercise of parenting time in cases of separation and divorce, particularly in cases where there is concern about the safety of a child or another family member due to family violence.
  • The Contraventions Act Fund, which supports provinces and territories in ensuring that language rights are respected in relation to the issuing and processing of contraventions tickets.
  • The expanded implementation of Impact of Race and Culture Assessments (IRCA) by supporting more jurisdictions in the preparation of IRCA reports. IRCA reports help sentencing judges to better understand the effect of racism and discrimination on the offender and their life experience.
  • The Access to Justice in both Official Languages Support Fund, which provides funding for projects that strengthen the bilingual capacity of the justice system and support the provision of legal information and socio-legal support services to official languages minority communities.

Key risks

The broad and diverse scope of justice issues and the multi-tiered nature of Canada’s justice system require the involvement and collaboration of many partners and stakeholders. Actively maintaining productive relationships with partners enables Justice Canada to achieve priorities and expected results. The Department will continue to take an intersectional, accessible, inclusive and people-centred approach to consultation, cooperation and engagement, and will ensure that these efforts are trauma-informed, anti-oppressive and respectful. This people-centred and evidence-based approach will enable Justice Canada to contribute to more effective decision making that will respond to today’s challenges with increasingly forward-looking and innovative laws, policies, and programs.

To help ensure successful outcomes for the Government of Canada’s reconciliation agenda, Justice Canada will continue to seek opportunities to regularly engage with national and regional Indigenous organizations, treaty nations, Indigenous governments and representative organizations, including groups representing Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals, as well as federal, provincial, territorial and industry partners and other stakeholders. For instance, Justice Canada will ensure that Indigenous partners and their representative organizations are fully involved in discussions around the prioritizing and sequencing of UN Declaration Act Action Plan measures. In addition, ongoing discussions with departments and Indigenous partners will continue, in order to develop key metrics to assess progress on implementation of the UN Declaration Act.

The Department will continue to support the participation of the Minister and senior officials of Justice in key international fora, including supporting Canada’s G7 presidency in 2025. The Department will also continue to collaborate with key interdepartmental partners to cultivate important international relationships, such as collaborating with Public Safety Canada on the Canada-U.S. Cross-Border Crime Forum.

In addition to maintaining productive relationships with partners and stakeholders, the Department is also managing internally focused areas of strategic risk related to cybersecurity, employee wellness, data and information, and the workplace of the future. These risk areas, which could impact the Department’s capacity to support the justice system, are being addressed through priorities and strategies outlined in the Internal Services section of this Departmental Plan.

Planned resources to achieve results

Table 6: Planned resources to achieve results for Justice System Support
Table 6 provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.
Resource Planned
Spending $793,916,044
Full-time equivalents 377

The complete financial and human resources information for Justice Canada’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Related government priorities

Program inventory

Justice System Support is supported by the following programs:

  • Legal Policies, Laws and Governance
  • Legal Representation
  • Contraventions Regime
  • Drug Treatment Court Funding Program
  • Victims of Crime
  • Youth Justice
  • Family Justice
  • Indigenous Justice
  • Justice System Partnerships
  • Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime

Additional information related to the program inventory for Justice System Support is available on the Results page on GC InfoBase.

Internal services

Description

Internal services are the services that are provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:

  • Management and oversight services
  • Communications services
  • Legal services
  • Human resources management services
  • Financial management services
  • Information management services
  • Information technology services
  • Real property management services
  • Materiel management services
  • Acquisition management services

Plans to achieve results

This section presents details on how the Department plans to achieve results and meet targets for internal services.

Supporting a diverse and inclusive work environment

Justice Canada is committed to cultivating an equitable, diverse and inclusive work environment. To fulfill these commitments and implement those made in response to the Office of the Auditor General of Canada Audit on Inclusion in the Workplace for Racialized Employees (OAG Audit), the Department will continue to implement measurable actions to create a more representative, respectful, inclusive, accessible, and barrier-free workplace, such as by:

  • Developing and publishing its second Accessibility Plan.
  • Publishing a combined Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Results Framework and departmental Employment Equity Plan for 2025–28.
  • Implementing actions related to its Strategic Recruitment Plan to attract skilled and diverse talent to support the future needs of the Department.
  • Supporting preventive and restorative efforts regarding workplace conflict, harassment and discrimination for Justice Canada employees through the work of the Ombuds and Informal Resolution Services Office. These efforts include providing confidential, independent and impartial spaces to discuss such workplace issues without fear of judgment or reprisals.
Human resources management

Justice Canada aims to build future capacity in a workplace that is safe, supportive, and healthy by supporting employees with accommodation needs through improvements to the management of accommodation solutions provided by the internal Centre for Access-Ability, Health and Wellness.

Justice Canada will continue to implement its Mental Health Action Plan by:

  • Addressing risks relating to harassment and violence prevention as outlined in the departmental Workplace Assessment.
  • Incorporating safe work procedures that address psychological stressors and other mental health and wellness risks in the Occupational Health and Safety Hazard Prevention Program.
  • Promoting and creating mental health training, events and related resources and tools.
  • Implementing measures from the Workload Improvement Initiative, such as delivering a series of learning events that cover workload management.

Through these varied activities aimed at supporting employees, Justice Canada will continue to promote a healthy work environment and foster the wellness of its people, which is an area of strategic risk management for the Department.

Enhancing digital and data capabilities

Justice Canada will continue to enable its digital and data capabilities to better inform legal, policy and program decisions, and to help manage data, information and cybersecurity strategic risks. To achieve this, the Department will promote digital information sharing and technology to improve collaboration within the organization, across government, and with external partners, while ensuring rigorous cybersecurity practices and focusing on the user experience. With improved network infrastructure and access to new software and reliable digital platforms, the Department will continue to ensure employees have the necessary tools to support their work. Notably, Justice Canada will:

  • Strengthen the department’s overall security posture in support of the Government of Canada’s Enterprise Cyber Security Strategy.
  • Finalize and deploy its artificial intelligence and data governance framework, which will also mitigate data-related risks and support the responsible use of artificial intelligence.
  • Operationalise artificial intelligence and automation solutions from pilots into day-to-day usage, such as Otto, a centralized artificial intelligence system.
Values and ethics

In response to the Clerk of the Privy Council’s commitment to a renewed dialogue on values and ethics in the public service, Justice Canada will develop an organizational values and ethics training plan, conduct a review of the departmental Values and Ethics Code, and facilitate continued employee engagement.

Communications

Justice Canada will continue to provide clear and accurate information, in both official languages, on the legal system and on the priorities of the Government of Canada and the Minister of Justice. The Department will present materials using plain language and alternative formats that are fully accessible and respond inclusively to the public’s diverse and changing information needs.

Justice Canada will also work to improve the usability, accessibility and functionality of departmental events and communication products. Justice Canada will keep its employees informed by ensuring that its intranet site is up to date and accessible for all, including those in legal services units.

Advancing government initiatives to improve access to justice

Justice Canada will continue its work to further the implementation of the Miscarriage of Justice Review Commission Act (David and Joyce Milgaard’s Law) and the new independent Miscarriage of Justice Review Commission by supporting the preliminary work required to create the initial infrastructure (e.g., IT infrastructure, network and servers, digital platforms, financial system) to meet the essential operational requirements to allow for the appointment of a Chief Commissioner as head of the organization and for the Commission to access and manage its own appropriations.

Planned resources to achieve results

Table 7: Planned resources to achieve results for internal services
Table 7 provides a summary of the planned spending and full-time equivalents required to achieve results.
Resource Planned
Spending $95,922,583
Full-time equivalents 1,258

The complete financial and human resources information for Justice Canada’s program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planning for contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

Government of Canada departments are to meet a target of awarding at least 5% of the total value of contracts to Indigenous businesses each year. This commitment is to be fully implemented by the end of 2024–25.

Table 8: Percentage of contracts planned and awarded to Indigenous businesses
Table 8 presents the current, actual results with forecasted and planned results for the total percentage of contracts the Department awarded to Indigenous businesses.
5% Reporting Field 2023–24 Actual Result 2024–25 Forecasted Result 2025–26 Planned Result
Total percentage of contracts with Indigenous businesses 13.6% 5% 5%

Justice Canada anticipates that it will achieve the minimum target of 5% again in the 2025–26 fiscal year.

The Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB) can be leveraged in all procurement activities to facilitate the awarding of contracts to Indigenous businesses. When the criteria are met, the PSIB allows for the mandatory or voluntary set-asides of contracts to Indigenous businesses. This contributes to reaching the annual 5% target.

To achieve the planned targets, Justice Canada will take a multi-faceted approach that includes:

  • Increasing Indigenous procurement awareness among stakeholders involved in procurement.
  • Conducting outreach activities with Indigenous suppliers’ communities through Request for Information processes and reverse tradeshows, in conjunction with other departments.
  • Conducting quarterly Indigenous procurement monitoring and reporting activities to ensure that the Department is on track to meet the planned targets.

Planned spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of Justice Canada’s planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2025–26 with actual spending from previous years.

Spending

This section presents an overview of the Department’s planned expenditures from 2022–23 to 2027–28.

Figure 1: Planned net spending by core responsibility in 2025–26

Figure 1 presents how much the Department plans to spend in 2025–26 to carry out core responsibilities and internal services.

Figure 1: Planned net spending by core responsibility in 2025–26

Budgetary performance summary

Table 9: Three-year net spending summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
Table 9 presents Justice Canada’s expenditures over the past two years and forecasts to spend in the current year to carry out its core responsibilities and for internal services. Amounts for the current fiscal year are forecasted based on spending as of October 31, 2024.
Core responsibilities and internal services 2022–23 actual expenditures 2023–24 actual expenditures 2024–25 forecast spending
Legal Services 204,647,663 226,652,246 409,852,089
Justice System Support 662,843,664 750,690,516 798,069,124
Subtotal 867,491,327 977,342,762 1,207,921,213
Internal services 115,831,245 132,643,466 130,073,588
Total 983,322,572 1,109,986,228 1,337,994,801

More financial information from previous years is available in the Finances section of GC InfoBase.

Table 10: Three-year planned net spending on core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
Table 10 presents Justice Canada’s planned spending over the next three years to carry out its core responsibilities and for internal services.
Core responsibilities and internal services 2025–26 planned spendingFootnote * of Table 2026–27 planned spendingFootnote * of Table 2027–28 planned spendingFootnote * of Table
Legal Services 280,270,671 279,246,192 279,188,118
Justice System Support 793,916,044 723,580,171 700,930,396
Subtotal 1,074,186,715 1,002,826,363 980,118,514
Internal services 95,922,583 92,568,510 92,397,985
Total 1,170,109,298 1,095,394,873 1,072,516,499

More detailed financial information on planned spending is available on the Finances section of GC InfoBase.

Table 11: Budgetary planned gross and net spending summary (dollars)
Table 11 reconciles planned gross spending with net spending for 2025–26.
Core responsibilities and internal services 2025–26 planned gross spending 2025–26 planned revenues netted against spending 2025–26 planned net spending
Legal Services 740,270,671 460,000,000 280,270,671
Justice System Support 793,916,044 0 793,916,044
Subtotal 1,534,186,715 460,000,000 1,074,186,715
Internal services 162,922,583 67,000,000 95,922,583
Total 1,697,109,298 527,000,000 1,170,109,298

The Department’s VNR authority is notionally distributed between the Legal Services core responsibility and Internal Services. The actual revenues distributed between programs could vary depending on numerous factors, such as changes to legal service rates approved periodically by Treasury Board, fluctuation in client departments’ demand for legal services, and the actual amount of revenues collected in excess of, or less than, the authority.

Figure 2: Departmental Vote-Netted Revenue Trend Graph (millions of dollars)

Figure 2 presents vote-netted revenue over time.

Figure 2: Departmental Vote-Netted Revenue Trend Graph (millions of dollars)

Information on the alignment of Justice Canada’s spending with Government of Canada’s spending and activities is available on GC InfoBase.

Funding

This section provides an overview of the Department’s net voted and statutory funding for its core responsibilities and for internal services. For further information on funding authorities, consult the Government of Canada budgets and expenditures.

Figure 3: Approved net funding (voted and statutory) over a six-year period

Figure 3 summarizes the Department’s approved net funding (voted and statutory) from 2022–23 to 2027–28.

Figure 3: Approved net funding (voted and statutory) over a six-year period

For further information on Justice Canada’s departmental appropriations, consult the 2025–26 Main Estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The future-oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of Justice Canada’s operations for 2024–25 to 2025–26.

Table 12: Future-oriented condensed statement of operations for the year ending March 31, 2026 (dollars)

Table 12 summarizes the expenses and revenues which net to the cost of operations before government funding and transfers for 2024–25 to 2025–26. The forecast and planned amounts in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The forecast and planned amounts presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.
Financial information 2024–25 Forecast results 2025–26 Planned results Difference (Planned results minus forecasted)
Total expenses 1,944,769,089 1,804,509,646 (140,259,443)
Total revenues 498,466,000 527,000,000 28,534,000
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers 1,446,303,089 1,277,509,646 (168,793,443)

A more detailed Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and associated notes for 2025–26, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations with the requested authorities, is available on Justice Canada’s website.

Human resources

This section presents an overview of the Department’s actual and planned human resources from 2022–23 to 2027–28.

Table 13: Actual human resources for core responsibilities and internal services

Table 13 shows a summary of human resources, in full-time equivalents, for Justice Canada’s core responsibilities and for its internal services for the previous three fiscal years. Human resources for the current fiscal year are forecasted as of October 31, 2024.
Core responsibilities and internal services 2022–23 actual full-time equivalents 2023–24 actual full-time equivalents 2024–25 forecasted full-time equivalents
Legal Services 3,676 3,897 4,051
Justice System Support 366 390 377
Subtotal 4,042 4,287 4,428
Internal services 1,116 1,156 1,249
Total 5,158 5,443 5,677

Table 14: Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services

Table 14 shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents, for each of Justice Canada’s core responsibilities and for its internal services planned for the next three years.
Core responsibilities and internal services 2025–26 planned full-time equivalents 2026–27 planned full-time equivalents 2027–28 planned full-time equivalents
Legal Services 4,051 4,051 4,051
Justice System Support 377 377 377
Subtotal 4,428 4,428 4,428
Internal services 1,258 1,249 1,249
Total 5,686 5,677 5,677

Corporate information

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on Justice Canada’s website:

Information on Justice Canada’s departmental sustainable development strategy can be found on Justice Canada’s website.

Federal tax expenditures

Justice Canada’s Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures.

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures.

This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.

Definitions