Department of Justice Canada Minister's Transition Book (Pocket version)

Hot Issues - Justice Lead

Legal aid is a shared responsibility between the provinces and territories and the federal government.
For the last 40 years, the Government of Canada has provided funding to provincial and territorial legal aid programs to help ensure that economically disadvantaged people have access to justice.
The Government of Canada continues to monitor the volume of refugee claimants and assess the demand for immigration and refugee legal aid services.

Canada is a rule of law country.
Ms. Meng is being afforded a fair process before the British Columbia Supreme Court in accordance with extradition law and our treaty with the United States.
Ms. Meng’s extradition hearing is scheduled to begin in January 2020.
The parties continue to make their pre-hearing submissions before the court.
A civil case related to this matter is also before the court. It has its own timelines and process, which is separate from the extradition case.

Impaired driving remains the leading criminal cause of death and injury in Canada.
In June 2018, Parliament significantly reformed Canada’s impaired driving law with the ultimate goal of making our roads safer.
These reforms included:
- New offences of being “over a legal drug limit” within two hours of driving and the authorization for law enforcement to use oral fluid drug screeners; and
- The authorization for law enforcement to use mandatory alcohol screening at the roadside.
The Government of Canada is working with the provinces and territories to support the effective implementation of these reforms, including by monitoring the ongoing litigation and providing support as needed.

The Minister of Justice plays an important role in promoting access to justice for all Canadians by ensuring that the process for appointing qualified judges to superior courts is effective and timely.
Filling judicial vacancies in a timely manner is critical to ensuring that federal, provincial and territorial superior courts are able to operate effectively and efficiently.
The Minister of Justice made over 300 judicial appointments to federal, provincial, and territorial superior courts across Canada since October 2015.
In addition, through Budgets 2017 and 2018, the Government of Canada is providing funding for more than 70 new judges for federal, provincial and territorial superior courts across the country.

Conversion therapy is a harmful practice that can lead to life-long trauma.
Some existing Criminal Code offences could apply to conversion therapy, depending on the circumstances of a given case.
The Government of Canada will continue to explore ways to better protect LGBTQ2 community.

The Government of Canada is committed to upholding the rights of all Canadians under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees freedom of religion and equality rights for all, regardless of personal characteristics.
Bill 21 is currently being challenged before the Quebec courts by several individuals and community organizations affected by the law.
The Government is aware that on October 30, 2019, the Canadian Human Rights Commission sought to intervene in this matter. The Commission has considerable expertise in administering human rights legislation and their work is informed by international human rights obligations.
At this time, the Government of Canada has not intervened in this matter.