ARCHIVED - Department of Justice Canada

The National Anti-Drug Strategy is built on the former Canada’s Drug Strategy, with a clear focus on illicit drugs and a particular emphasis on youth. Its goal is to contribute to safer and healthier communities through coordinated efforts to prevent use, treat dependency and reduce production and distribution of illicit drugs. It encompasses three action plans: prevention, treatment and enforcement.

The prevention action plan supports efforts to prevent youth from using illicit drugs by enhancing their awareness and understanding of the harmful social and health effects of illicit drug use and to develop and implement community-based interventions & initiatives to prevent illicit drug use. The treatment action plan supports effective treatment and rehabilitation systems and services by developing and implementing innovative and collaborative approaches. The enforcement action plan aims to contribute to the disruption of illicit drug operations in a safe manner, particularly targeting criminal organizations.

• Reduced demand for illicit drugs in targeted populations and areas;
• Reduced impacts of illicit drug use through prevention and treatment efforts; and
• Reduced supply of illicit drugs.

The governance structure of the Strategy consists of an Assistant Deputy Minister Steering Committee and working groups on policy and performance, prevention and treatment, enforcement, and communications. The governance structure is supported by the Strategic Initiative Unit of the Department of Justice Canada.

The Assistant Deputy Minister Steering Committee (ADMSC), which is chaired by the Department of Justice Canada, oversees the implementation of the Strategy, making decisions necessary to advance the initiative, where required, and ensuring appropriate and timely outcomes for the initiative and accountability in the expenditure of initiative resources.  The ADMSC prepares questions for the consideration of Deputy Ministers, where appropriate.

The Prevention and Treatment Working Group, chaired by Health Canada, oversees the development and implementation of the Prevention and Treatment Action Plans. The Enforcement Working Group, chaired by the Department of Public Safety Canada, oversees the development and implementation of the Enforcement Action Plan. The Policy and Performance Working Group, chaired by the Department of Justice Canada, oversees the development and articulation of policy directions and outcomes for the Strategy and the work of the Sub-Committee on Evaluation and Reporting. The communications Working Group, chaired by the Department of Justice Canada, oversees communication of the Strategy including, making decisions necessary to advance communication of the initiative and ensuring coordination of communication.

Results Achieved in 2007-2008

•  Assuming overarching responsibility for policy and coordination;

•  Establishing and maintaining a NADS Governance Structure;

•  Assuming the lead for and coordination of all NADS communications activities;

•  Established the Governance Structure for the NADS;

•  Coordinated the 3 NADS TB Submissions that were approved by the Board in September 2007;

•  Developed and negotiated all partner participation in and agreement to a Results-based Management and Accountability Framework (RMAF) that was submitted to Treasury Board at the end of March 2008;

•  Played a leadership role in the policy and performance of the Strategy through the ADM-level Steering Committee and the Policy and Performance Working Group of the Governance Structure;

To enhance capacity to plan/deliver a range of treatment services & programs to targeted populations

3 projects funded by the end of the fiscal year (2 completed and 1 on-going as at March 31-08) 4 will be funded in 2008-2009

(Prevention Action Plan)

Enhanced uptake of knowledge in communities to address illicit drug sue and its negative consequences

(Treatment Action Plan)

Enhanced capacity to plan/deliver a range of treatment services and programs to targeted populations

Enhanced F/P/T commitments to improve treatment systems in targeted areas of need

(Treatment Action Plan)

(Enforcement Action Plan)

(Enforcement Action Plan)

Increased awareness of illicit drug and precursor chemical issues for enforcement

(Treatment Action Plan)

(Prevention Action Plan)

Enhanced knowledge in communities to address illicit drug use and its negative consequences.

(Enforcement Action Plan)

Funded 8 projects for research, knowledge and information exchange.

(Prevention Action Plan)

(Treatment Action Plan)

Developed a comprehensive draft five-year work plan

Organized and/or participated in 30 consultations

(Enforcement Action Plan

Enhanced ability to detect and respond to the supply of illicit drugs and harmful substances

This initiative was successfully completed with the majority of current members of the MGO Teams being cross-trained in Clan Lab qualifications.  The newly trained members help create a synergistic partnership between the two teams, and target efforts in the prevention of chemical diversion and synthetic drug production. This practice will continue from this point forward, as Divisions have recognized the benefits of having an increased pool of experts in the area of safely investigating and dismantling dangerous labs, in the event of an emergency. Has led to a total 18 officers were trained in 2007/2008.

Funding under the National Anti-Drug Strategy was allocated to Divisions to enhance their Marihuana Grow Operation (MGO) Teams and Clandestine Laboratory Teams. The addition of new members allowed for greater targeting of efforts on larger grow operations, as well as emerging ‘super labs’.

There were 138 MGO seizures, and 22 Clandestine Laboratory seizures made in 2007/2008. For MGOs, this resulted in the seizure of 95,924 plants, and 1,202 kg of marihuana bud seized as part of these disruptions. For Clan labs, over 90 kg of methamphetamine and 95 kg of MDMA were seized as part of these disruptions.  

(Enforcement Action Plan)

(Enforcement Action Plan)

(Enforcement Action Plan)

(Enforcement Action Plan)

(Enforcement Action Plan)

(Enforcement Action Plan)

(Enforcement Action Plan)

(Enforcement Action Plan)

Development of financial intelligence

Ensuring compliance in high-risk reporting sectors

1.a Justice - Justice Canada Lead Role for the National Anti-Drug Strategy
The funding was not fully utilized due to the late arrival of the funds, and also the complexity of the transition of the leadership role from Health Canada to Justice and the need to develop capacity within Justice to support the leadership role.

1.b Justice - Drug Treatment Courts of Justice:
There are still claims outstanding for this time frame.

1.c Justice - Youth Justice Fund - Youth Justice Anti-drug Treatment Component:
The short time frame (October-March, 2007) impacted the number of proposals received and projects approved.  Funding criteria was established and a call for proposals sent to Provincial/Territorial representatives, but there was slow uptake on the funding.  The short time frame also impacted the number of proposal reviews and agreement negotiations which could take place within the time frame.  The G's and C's allocation was $375 K and projects of a value of $166.7 K were funded over the time frame.

 2.a Health Canada - mass media campaign
Television campaign for parents was added to parent component.  Funding came from Branch surplus.

2.c Health Canada - Drug Treatment Funding Program
Delay in the announcement of DTFP resulted in lapsed funds in 2007/08.

2.f Health Canada - Drug Analysis Services
DAS has been in a chronic deficit since before 2000.  This is funded through internal reallocation.

3. Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Research on Drug Treatment Model
Actual spending was less than the allocation due to the timing of the NADS announcement and the amount of time it requires to prepare and issue RFAs.

4.a Department of Public Safety Canada- Crime Prevention Funding and Programming
The timing of NADS did not coincide well with our call for “Letters of Interest/proposals”, and so most projects were already in development, leaving little opportunity to turn these into NADS projects.  We did identify a certain number of proposals as NADS projects which in fact began their application process prior to 07/08, but most of these projects were for relatively small amounts of funding, meaning we fell short of our financial commitment, notwithstanding that we actually funded more projects than anticipated.

4.b Department of Public Safety Canada - National Coordination of Efforts to Improve Intelligence, Knowledge, Management, Research, Evaluation
As NADS funding was received late in fiscal year 2007-2008, there was insufficient time to complete staffing actions, resulting in lapsed funds equivalent to 1 FTE.

5.a RCMP - Drugs and Organized Crime Awareness Service
Actual spending was less than the allocation as a result of the re-orientation of the DOCAS program, and postponement of the Aboriginal Shield Initiative, which updated its programming material to reflect a broader range of Aboriginal cultures (i.e., Métis, Inuit).  Remaining funds that were allocated were returned to Treasury Board for the 2007/2008 fiscal year.     

5.b RCMP - National Youth Intervention and Diversion Program (NYIDP)
Overall, the NYIDP’s actual spending for FY 2007-08 was approximately fifty percent (50%) of the planned spending, which is largely due to the fact that this was the start-up year for the program.   The Director and Manager were hired in the 3rd quarter of the fiscal year; therefore, their salaries do not cover the entire fiscal year as originally calculated in the planned spending. The delays in having employees physically on-site delayed the overall development/implementation schedule for the NYIDP and, therefore, also impacted the operating expenditures.

5.c RCMP - The RCMP Drug Enforcement Program
Actual spending was less than the allocation as a result of funding for the Strategy rolling out in November 2007, and the amount of time required to fulfill human resource plans for additional trained officers.  Funding for 2007/2008 has been allocated to the requisite Divisions, and processes are underway to staff these positions.

9. Canada Border Services Agency - Border Intelligence, Precursor Chemical Diversion, Analysis and Scientific Services
The September 2007 implementation had a significant impact on the CBSA expenditures for the first year of the National Anti-Drug Strategy. Consequently, in 2007/2008 the CBSA was not able to utilize resources to their full extent (for example, procurement delays).

11. Special Enforcement Program of Canada Revenue Agency
The funding was received by the CRA in November 2007. It was not fully utilized because there was only five months to expend it and the majority of the funds are being spent on personnel costs.

13. Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada
The funding was not fully utilized as it was received by the FINTRAC only in March of 2008.

Catherine Latimer 
General Counsel and Director General
Youth Justice, and Strategic Initiatives & Law Reform
(613) 957-9623

clatimer@justice.gc.ca