3. Overview of the Department

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Overview of the Department of Justice

Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Ministers’ Office

Deputy Minister

Manager of the Department

As the Department’s top public servant, the Deputy Minister has overall responsibility for managing the Department of Justice.

In addition, as a member of the community of deputy ministers, the Deputy Minister of Justice shares responsibility with colleagues in other government departments for contributing to the overall leadership of the public service under the direction of the Clerk of the Privy Council.

Chief Policy Advisor

The Deputy Minister acts as principal policy advisor to the Minister on matters within the Minister’s responsibility and authority. She coordinates policy development and ensures the departmental implementation of the Minister’s initiatives and priorities. She also advises on coherent policy development for and management of the Minister’s portfolio.

Accounting Officer

The Financial Administration Act provides that deputy ministers and deputy heads of government entities are designated accounting officers for their organizations. Under the legislation, the responsibilities of accounting officers arise within the framework of ministerial responsibility and accountability to Parliament. Accounting officers are required to appear before the appropriate parliamentary committee to answer questions regarding a specified range of responsibilities and duties relating to departmental management. These responsibilities include managing departmental resources in accordance with government policies and procedures, maintaining effective systems of internal control and signing the departmental accounts.

Litigation

The Deputy Attorney General has important responsibilities in relation to litigation. She oversees and directs all civil and administrative litigation conducted by or on behalf of the Crown, as well as litigation under the Extradition Act and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act.

Following the creation of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, the Deputy Attorney General retained a role as advisor to the Attorney General with respect to the exercise of powers reserved to the Attorney General under the Director of Public Prosecutions Act and may be called upon to intervene in proceedings raising questions of public interest or assume the conduct of a prosecution.

In addition, certain decisions in litigation matters involving international relations, national defence and national security are made by the Deputy Attorney General. This includes the delegation of authority to officials within the Department who may authorize disclosure of information under section 38 of the Canada Evidence Act. This provision governs the protection and disclosure of information that is sensitive or potentially injurious to international relations, national defence or national security if released.

While the Deputy Minister of Justice leads the Department and remains accountable for all decisions and actions taken within the Department, all sectors and portfolios report to the Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Ministers. Although they each have specific areas of responsibility, their leadership approach enables any of them to lead as one on any issue at any given time.

Associate Deputy Ministers

Appointed pursuant to subsection 3(3) of the Department of Justice Act, the Associate Deputy Ministers have the rank and status of a deputy head of a department and performs such powers, duties and functions under the Deputy Minister.

Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Ministers’ Office Team

Chief of Staff, Director & General Counsel

• Julie Adair

Legal Team

• Martha Butler, Manager & Senior Counsel
• Max Binnie, Acting Senior Counsel
• Karine Bolduc, Acting Senior Counsel
• Marie-Claire Le Van Mao, Acting Senior Counsel
• Kiernan Murphy, Acting Senior Counsel
• Laura Upans, Acting Senior Counsel

Ministerial Secretariat

• Yanike Legault, Senior Director, Ministerial Secretariat
• Zachary Healy, Director, Cabinet & Parliamentary Affairs
• Mélanie Bélanger, Manager, Ministerial Liaison Unit
• David Boucher, Acting Manager, Ministerial Correspondence Unit

Departmental Advisor in the Minister’s Office

• Charlotte Sully, Acting Senior Counsel

Executive Assistants

• Shawn Béchamp
• Clunie François-Maurice
• Kelly Butler
• Josiane Deslauriers

Business Centre

• Pamela Richmire, Director, Policy Sector and DM Cluster
• Danielle Vaillancourt, Manager, Business Management Services

Driver & Administrative Support

• Daniel Boileau

Key Weekly Meetings

Min-DM

The Min-DM is a weekly meeting between the Deputy Minister, the Associate Deputy Ministers, the Minister, the Minister’s Chief of Staff, the Minister’s office staff and the Departmental Advisor. Senior departmental managers and some experts may also participate by invitation to provide in-depth briefing on files and issues. It provides a forum for the constructive exchange of information and in-depth discussions on sensitive and emerging issues, as well as advice on the management and advancement of files.

Bilateral with the Minister

A weekly bilateral meeting between the Minister, Minister’s Chief of Staff, Deputy Minister, and Associate Deputy Ministers is scheduled to discuss emerging issues and files.

Bilateral with the Chief of Staff

The Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Ministers meet weekly with the Minister’s Chief of Staff to discuss the management of files.

Meeting with Executive Committee Team

The Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Ministers meet weekly with the Executive Committee and Deputy Minister’s Office Teams to discuss emerging issues and files.

Ministerial Secretariat

The Ministerial Secretariat is part of the Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Ministers’ Office and plays a key role in supporting the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Deputy Minister, Associate Deputy Ministers, and senior departmental officials by providing front-line services. The team is comprised of a multi-classification workforce that provides strategic advice, expertise and executive operational services in support of Cabinet and parliamentary business, legislation and regulation, the federal Budget exercise, portfolio issues coordination, Governor in Council appointments, correspondence and briefing needs, including ministerial invitations and trips. The Secretariat also supports various corporate activities such as proactive disclosure pertaining to briefing materials and parliamentary documents and transition-related activities.

The Secretariat is headed by the Senior Director’s Office, and is comprised of three units: the Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs Unit, the Ministerial Liaison Unit and the Ministerial Correspondence Unit. Together, these units form the main point of entry into the Minister’s Office, and support the Minister, and Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Ministers’ Office by working in close collaboration with them with a view to enhancing horizontal information sharing and supporting decision making across the Department.

Senior Director, Ministerial Secretariat

Yanike Legault

Director, Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs Unit

Zachary Healy

Manager, Ministerial Liaison Unit

Mélanie Bélanger

Acting Manager, Ministerial Correspondence Unit

David Boucher

Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs Unit (CPAU)

The CPAU supports the Minister in the Cabinet decision-making process and in the Minister’s legislative and parliamentary responsibilities by providing timely, comprehensive briefing materials and strategic advice and expertise. CPAU also establishes and maintains a network of contacts with Central Agencies, other government departments and Justice Portfolio organizations to closely monitor and coordinate Cabinet, parliamentary and legislative business of a horizontal nature and offer strategic advice.

The support provided by CPAU is achieved by, amongst other things:

• monitoring all Cabinet and parliamentary activities as well as acting as the primary liaison between the Minister’s Office and the Department on these matters;
• coordinating and managing the Department’s Cabinet and parliamentary agenda and providing strategic advice on parliamentary procedures and the Cabinet process;
• developing strategies, approaches and initiatives to advance the Cabinet, parliamentary and legislative agenda, including with regard to the Department’s overall strategic framework;
• coordinating the preparation of Memoranda to Cabinet and supporting documents, including the preparation of cover notes for the Minister and the development of Parliament Plans;
• preparing, coordinating and reviewing all briefing materials, including speeches and talking points, for the Minister’s use at Cabinet and before Parliament;
• coordinating and managing Parliamentary Returns and providing support for Question Period;
• coordinating and managing regulatory initiatives, including the Forward Regulatory Plan and the Regulatory Stock Review;
• coordinating the tabling before Parliament of annual reports and other special reports and documents such as Charter Statements;
• supporting the Minister’s Office with Governor in Council appointments processes by providing advice, managing changes, and developing new tools;
• leading the annual Budget submission exercise for Justice, including liaising with portfolio organizations.

Ministerial Liaison Unit (MLU)

The MLU serves as the primary liaison for information going to and coming from the Minister’s Office by:

• providing executive operational services with regard to ministerial and deputy head briefing needs;
• providing strategic advice and recommendations on the communication of information to the Minister’s Office and Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Ministers’ Office and ensuring information is of the highest quality;
• organizing oral briefings with the Minister’s Office and managing information needs to support meetings between the Minister, Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Ministers;
• supporting the organization and preparation of briefing materials for trips and meetings, including federal-provincial-territorial meetings.

Ministerial Correspondence Unit (MCU)

The MCU is responsible for the management, development and implementation of departmental systems, processes and procedures for the preparation, production, review, analysis and approval of replies to ministerial correspondence for the signature of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Deputy Minister and the Associate Deputy Ministers.

MCU conducts research, monitors the news to provide input on existing or emerging trends, and identifies hot topics that may require special response actions. It provides strategic advice, recommendations and reports on all matters related to the management of ministerial correspondence including managing strategic assessments of incoming requests to the Minister, Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Ministers from the public, federal-provincial-territorial representatives, Parliamentarians, and key stakeholders. MCU also supports outreach campaigns addressed to various stakeholders done via massive mail out exercises.

Communications Branch

The Communications Branch includes the Director General’s Office, Strategic Communications Division, and Digital and Corporate Communications. Employees of the Branch also work in four of the Department’s regional offices (Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal).

The Branch provides advice and planning services in media relations, media monitoring and analysis, Ministerial event support, internal and external communications, digital and social media, graphic design and speeches.

The Branch also coordinates issues management and external communications, and is responsible for coordinating paid advertising, public opinion research, consultations and publishing activities (print and digital).

Director General, Communications Branch

Shirley Anne Off

Deputy Director General, Strategic Communications

Charles Stanfield

A/Director, Digital, Corporate and Employee Communications

Carolyn Campbell

Public Affairs and Issues Management Unit

The Unit liaises closely with the Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Ministers’ Office and the Minister’s Office to respond to media requests and address issues in the media.

The Unit provides journalists with necessary background information on departmental positions on justice issues, provides a detect-and-correct function, and promotes the activities and policies of the Department and the Minister. It also prepares media lines for the Minister and Department; coordinates media interviews and media technical briefings; provides operational and organizational support for news conferences, announcements and media events; and works horizontally with other government departments on joint initiatives and media responses.

Policy Communications Unit

The Unit provides strategic communications advice on policy, program, and legislative initiatives related to departmental and ministerial priorities.

The Unit advises and supports the Department on the communications component of regulatory initiatives, Memorandums to Cabinet and Treasury Board Submissions. Working closely with senior policy and program officials and the Minister’s Office, the Unit plays a lead role on announcements related to legislation, policy files and program funding by developing communications plans, news releases/statements, media lines, questions and answers, social media and Web content. The Unit also collaborates horizontally with other government departments and stakeholders on joint and multi-party communications activities.

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Team

The Team supports all communications activities specifically related to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, including raising public awareness of the Declaration, and supporting the legislative process and engagement activities.

The Team works closely with senior policy and program officials and the Minister’s Office to develop communications plans, campaigns, news releases/statements, media lines, questions and answers, social media and Web content. It liaises and collaborates with other government departments, Indigenous organizations and other stakeholders on content and communications initiatives.

Regional Communications

Communications staff in the Department’s regional offices provide overarching strategic communications advice and coordination between Justice officials, litigation teams, Legal Service Units, and communications partners in client departments on emerging issues in the public environment and high-profile litigation. They also provide media relations, ministerial events planning and implementation, various regional and national initiatives and internal communications for regional offices.

Digital Communications

Digital Communications manages and coordinates the Department’s website content, as well as Justice Canada’s official social media accounts. These currently include Justice Twitter, Justice Facebook, and the Minister’s official Twitter account–one in each official language. The Team works with branch colleagues as well as the Minister’s Office to coordinate and monitor social and digital media, and to comply with official languages, accessibility, and Treasury Board guidelines. The Team also includes in-house designers, photographers, and videographers to develop creative content and provide support at Ministerial events.

Corporate Communications

Corporate Communications provides ministerial event coordination and support to the Minister’s Office. The Team maintains the Communications Planning Calendar that includes Ministerial, departmental and external events, as well as selected updates on litigation, access to information requests and proactive disclosures. Corporate Communications liaises with the Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Ministers’ Office, the Policy Sector’s Programs Branch and within the Communications Branch to identify and support ministerial trips, public and closed-door meetings and events to raise awareness of government priorities.

Corporate Communications also provides strategic advice and planning for ministerial speeches. This includes speeches and video messages for the Minister or the Minister’s official delegate for public events, including press conferences, funding announcements, keynote remarks for major conferences and swearing-in ceremonies related to judicial appointments.

To support judicial affairs in the Minister’s Office, Corporate Communications prepares and coordinates judicial appointment news releases and social media.

The Team is also responsible for coordinating public opinion research and consultations, advertising, and departmental reporting for the Communications Branch, as well as providing communications assessments for proactive disclosures and translation and editing services for communications products.

Employee Communications

The Team manages internal communications to Justice Canada employees through internal web content and messages to all staff for all areas of the Department, including Accommodations, Employment Equity, Human Resources and Information Solutions. Employee Communications is responsible for ensuring all Justice employees can access the information they need to work effectively. The Team develops and coordinates Minister’s messages to all staff as required.

Members of the Executive Committee and their Areas of Responsibility

Business and Regulatory Law Portfolio

BRLP also includes two centres of expertise – one on business and technology law and the other in procurement law – as well as a specialized unit to coordinate legal advice on major resource development projects.

BRLP Centres of Expertise

The Centre for Business and Technology Law (CBTL) is a centre of expertise in business and technology law. CBTL provides legal advisory services in 1) corporate and commercial law; 2) intellectual property law; and 3) technology law, including artificial intelligence and digital government; and 4) federal real property and immovable. CBTL provides strategic legal advice and ensures consistency of legal positions and practices throughout federal departments and agencies in these four practice areas.

The Centre of Expertise in Procurement Law (COEPL), housed in the Public Services and Procurement Canada and Shared Services Canada Legal Services, has the exclusive mandate for providing procurement legal advice to all Department of Justice clients. The COEPL also conducts the litigation of procurement complaints before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal.

BRLP Specialized Unit

The Resource Development Coordination Unit (RDCU) is a specialized unit responsible for the coordination of the Department of Justice legal support on major resource development files. Given the multi-client and multidisciplinary nature of these files, RDCU works collaboratively with counsel in DLSUs to ensure that the Department of Justice is providing consistent and whole-of-government legal advice to its clients on resource projects.

Central Agencies Portfolio

Communications Branch

Indigenous Rights and Relations Portfolio

Key areas of expertise:

• Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and monitoring and reporting on the Department’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and the Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people;
• Supporting the Deputy Minister’s participation in the Deputy Minister Committee on Indigenous Reconciliation;
• Providing advice and guidance to the Department on Indigenous-specific protocols;
• The constitutional framework for the Crown-Indigenous relationship, including Aboriginal rights and title and treaty rights protected by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982;
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act;
• Indigenous Justice Strategy and administration of justice in Indigenous communities;
• Duty to consult and principle of free, prior and informed consent;
• Fiduciary duties owed to Indigenous peoples;
• Self-government and modern treaty negotiations and implementation;
• Indian Act, First Nations Land Management Act, Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families and other federal legislation in relation to Indigenous Peoples;
• Specific claims in relation to past wrongs against First Nations;
• Support to the Office of the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools;
• Northern Affairs;
• Permanent Bilateral Mechanisms with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation leaders;
• Principles respecting the Government of Canada’s relationship with Indigenous peoples; and
• Supporting Justice Canada engagements with Indigenous communities and organizations.

Internal Audit and Evaluation Sector

Evaluation Branch

The Evaluation Branch carries out objective and credible evaluations of the Department’s policies, programs, operations and services, and provides advice regarding departmental and program-level performance measurement.

Professional Practices Branch

The Professional Practices Branch acts as the liaison between the Department and other assurance providers, conducts sector planning, and delivers the quality assurance program.

Management Sector

Human Resources Branch

The Human Resources Branch provides human resources management, including learning and leadership development, official languages, recruitment, compensation, labour relations, classification, and talent/performance management, and offers services to foster a respectful, healthy and safe environment.

Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Secretariat

The Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Secretariat supports Justice Canada in becoming a representative, diverse and inclusive organization by developing and implementing frameworks, processes, training and tools to eradicate systemic racism and discrimination in our organization and in the provision of services.

Legal Practices Branch

The Legal Practices Branch promotes and ensures consistency, efficiency, continuous improvement, and innovation in federal legal practices through the development of policies, tools, and analytics. The Branch supports the professional needs of Justice’s legal professionals, including timekeeping, reporting, case management, and Corporate Counsel Office services. The Legal Practices Branch also supports legal knowledge management, legal learning and development, paralegal services, and leads the department in the use of business analytics and artificial intelligence. Since April 1, 2023, the Branch also assumes responsibility for access to information and privacy services, including certain aspects of proactive disclosure.

Information Solutions Branch

The Information Solutions Branch provides advice, guidance and solutions to Justice Canada in the areas of Information Management, Information Technology, including its security, Library Services, and Open Government. Select services are also provided to the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, the Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime and the Law Commission of Canada.

Corporate Services Branch

The Corporate Services Branch implements the Department’s Safety and Security Program and manages the Department’s accommodations and facilities nationally. It also provides a full range of integrated strategic and business management services to the Management Sector, and serves as an executive support mechanism for many of the Department’s corporate governance functions.

National Litigation Sector

The Assistant Deputy Attorney General is the Government’s chief legal adviser in matters relating to litigation by and against the Crown.

National Litigation Sector

Regional Offices

The regional offices form part of the National Litigation Sector and provide litigation and advisory services to federal departments and agencies operating across the country.

Atlantic Region

Quebec Region

National Capital Region - Civil Litigation Sector

Ontario Region

Prairie Region

British Columbia Region

Northern Region

Privy Council Office Legal Services Sector

The Sector also supports the Privy Council Office in litigation respecting their responsibilities such as Parliament (the Government House Leader), elections (the Minister of Democratic Institutions), intergovernmental matters (Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs), youth (Prime Minister), and Privy Council Office decisions under the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act. The Sector provides legal support as well to the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General.

Policy Sector

The Sector plays a strategic role in contributing to the policy function across the Department, including through Gender-Based Analysis Plus, foresight, managing priorities and planning, and sustaining the Department’s research capacity by undertaking research and analysis to support evidence-based decisions.

In addition, the Policy Sector has a multidisciplinary team responsible for grants and contributions. Through this, the Department provides funding to community organizations and other levels of government that are working to support a fair, relevant, and accessible justice system.

Public Law and Legislative Services Sector

The Secretariat of the Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19 is housed in the Sector and supports the work of the Committee and its working group. The Sector also houses the Secretariat for the establishment of an independent Criminal Case Review Commission, which is tasked with the revival of the Law Commission of Canada.

Public Safety, Defence and Immigration Portfolio

It is also responsible for the Department of Justice’s Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes (CAHWC) Section, which offers legal support to the CAHWC Program partners (CBSA, IRCC and the RCMP) in fulfilling their mandate to deny safe haven in Canada to individuals believed to have committed or been complicit in war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide.

The Portfolio also houses the Issues Management and Review Coordination Unit (IMRCU). The mandate of the IMRCU is to support the Portfolio by working on significant and complex issues that require coordination across the Portfolio and/or between Portfolios and Sectors or that require additional capacity. In fulfilling its mandate, the Unit is specifically responsible for ensuring a coordinated Justice approach to national security review. It also acts as the Department’s coordination unit for immigration litigation, supporting the Portfolio and the National Litigation Sector in ensuring nationally consistent legal positions.

The Portfolio’s main areas of expertise include national security law, corrections and conditional release, immigration and refugee law, border law, national defence law, law enforcement, and international criminal law.

Tax Law Services Portfolio

Organizational Chart

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