ARCHIVED - Department of Justice Canada

Strategic Outcome: A fair, relevant and accessible justice system that reflects Canadian values

Program Activity: Justice policies, laws and programs

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Support Fund (Voted)

Start date: April 1, 2003

End date: Ongoing

Description: The purpose of the Initiative in Support of Access to Justice in Both Official Languages is to improve the capacity of the justice system to serve Canadians in both official languages. The Initiative is part of the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality 2008-2013: Acting for the Future,announced by the federal government in June 2008. It includes a consulting mechanism, a justice training component, and a grants and contributions funding program titled “Access to Justice in both Official Languages Support Fund”. Its objectives are to increase the capacity of the justice system and its stakeholders to offer justice services in both official languages and to increase awareness in the legal community and official language minority and majority communities concerning their rights and issues related to access to justice in both official languages.

Recipients:

• Canadian not-for-profit organizations;
• Provincial and territorial governments, regional and municipal governments, provincial and territorial Crown corporations; and
• Canadian institutions/boards of education, including Centres for jurilinguistics.

Expected results: Continued and improved access to justice services in the minority language.

"Please refer to the Programs and Initiatives Section of the Department of Justice website for details of the Department's Three Year Transfer Payment Program Plan."

Strategic Outcome: A fair, relevant and accessible justice system that reflects Canadian values

Program Activity: Justice policies, laws and programs

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Aboriginal Justice Strategy Fund (Voted)

Start date: 1991-1992 as Aboriginal Justice Initiative

End date: March 31, 2012

Description: The Aboriginal Justice Strategy (AJS) enables Aboriginal communities to have increased involvement in the local administration of justice and provides timely and effective alternatives to mainstream justice processes in appropriate circumstances. AJS programs are also aimed at reducing the rates of victimization, crime and incarceration among Aboriginal people in communities operating AJS programs, and helping the mainstream justice system become more responsive and sensitive to the needs and culture of Aboriginal communities.

Recipients:

1. Bands, First Nations, Tribal Councils, local, regional and national Aboriginal organizations;
2. agencies and institutions of regional/municipal governments;
3. non-profit community organizations, societies, and associations which have voluntarily associated themselves for a non-profit purpose;
4. provincial and territorial governments;
5. individuals; and,
6. for-profit corporations, so long as these corporations will not make a profit on the work performed.

Expected results: Aboriginal communities continue to have increased involvement in the local administration of justice by providing timely and effective alternatives to mainstream justice processes in appropriate circumstances. Over time, the AJS Fund will contribute to reducing rates of victimization, crime and incarceration among Aboriginal people in communities operating AJS programs and help the mainstream justice system become more responsive and sensitive to the needs and culture of Aboriginal communities.

"Please refer to the Programs and Initiatives Section of the Department of Justice website for details of the Department's Three Year Transfer Payment Program Plan."

Strategic Outcome: A fair, relevant and accessible justice system that reflects Canadian values

Program Activity: Justice policies, laws and programs

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Aboriginal Courtwork Program (Voted)

Start date: 1978-1979

End date: Ongoing

Description: The objective of the Aboriginal Courtwork Program is to improve access to justice by helping Aboriginal people involved in the criminal justice system obtain fair, just, equitable and culturally sensitive treatment. It is the only ongoing justice related program available to all Aboriginal people (adult and youth), regardless of status and residency. The Program provides Aboriginal persons charged with an offence with timely and accurate information on their rights, obligations, roles and responsibilities at the earliest possible stage of the criminal justice process. Services also include referring clients to appropriate legal and social resources in their community. Aboriginal Courtworkers serve as a “bridge” between criminal justice officials and Aboriginal people and communities by providing information, cultural context, and liaison, and promoting communications and understanding.

Recipients: Federal contributions will be made to provincial governments to provide Aboriginal Courtwork services to Aboriginal persons (adults and youths) charged with an offence under any federal or provincial statute or municipal by-law. A province may authorize one or more agencies to deliver Aboriginal Courtwork services on its behalf. All designated delivery agencies will be accountable to the funders. In addition, the new Projects in Support of the Aboriginal Courtwork Program component provides modest support for projects that further the mandate of the Program.

Expected results:  Contribution agreements with the provinces will support delivery of Aboriginal Courtwork services to ensure access to justice for Aboriginal people within the mainstream Canadian justice system, which will promote fair, equitable and culturally relevant treatment before the courts.

"Please refer to the Programs and Initiatives Section of the Department of Justice website for details of the Department's Three Year Transfer Payment Program Plan."

Strategic Outcome: A fair, relevant and accessible justice system that reflects Canadian values

Program Activity: Justice policies, laws and programs

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Legal Aid Systems (Voted)

Start date: August 17, 1971

End date: Ongoing

Description: The objective of the federal Legal Aid Program is to contribute to sustaining a national system of justice that helps to ensure that economically disadvantaged persons have access to the justice system, through contribution funding in support of criminal, youth criminal justice and immigration and refugee legal aid services provided by the provinces (funding for criminal and civil legal aid in the territories is provided through the Access to Justice Services Agreements).

Recipients: Provinces.

Expected results:   Provinces are enabled to provide legal aid services to eligible persons involved in serious criminal, youth criminal justice, and immigration and refugee matters.

"Please refer to the Programs and Initiatives Section of the Department of Justice website for details of the Department's Three Year Transfer Payment Program Plan."

Strategic Outcome: A fair, relevant and accessible justice system that reflects Canadian values

Program Activity: Justice policies, laws and programs

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Youth Justice Services Funding Program (Voted)

Start date: April 2, 1984

End date: Ongoing

Description: The overall objective of this Program is to support the policy directions of the Youth Justice Initiative. The specific objectives of the individual agreements are to support and promote an appropriate range of programs and services that encourage accountability measures for unlawful behavior that are proportionate and timely; encourage the effective rehabilitation and reintegration of young persons into their communities; target the formal court process to the most serious offences; and target detention and custody to the most serious offences.

Recipients: Provinces and territories.

Expected results: The contribution agreements will support a sustainable youth justice system that is capable of innovation and supports federal youth justice priorities

"Please refer to the Programs and Initiatives Section of the Department of Justice website for details of the Department's Three Year Transfer Payment Program Plan."

Strategic Outcome: A fair, relevant and accessible justice system that reflects Canadian values

Program Activity: Justice policies, laws and programs

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Supporting Families Fund (Voted)

Start date: April 1, 2009

End date: March 31, 2014

Description: The SF Fund is a key component of the Supporting Families Experiencing Separation and Divorce Initiative (SFI) which was announced by the Minister of Justice in September, 2008. The fund is aimed at facilitating access to the family justice system for families experiencing separation and divorce, through various services, programs, and information resources, particularly those that promote compliance with financial support and custody/access obligations. The Fund also supports projects that promote public awareness about parental obligations, compliance, and the family justice system. 

Recipients: Provincial and territorial departments, agencies, or other organizations designated by provincial and territorial governments as responsible for child support, the enforcement of support orders and agreements and parenting arrangement programs and services, are eligible to apply for contribution funding under the Family Justice Initiatives and the Pilot Projects components of the Fund.

Any of the following may apply for contribution or class grant funding under the Fund's Public Legal Education and Information and Professional Training component:

• individuals
• non-profit professional organizations, societies or associations
• other non-profit organizations, societies or associations
• educational institutions
• private sector organizations sponsoring non-profit projects in partnership with federal, provincial, or territorial governments

Expected results: Expanded accessibility of custody/access, support and enforcement services. Enhanced awareness and understanding of parental obligations, compliance, and the family justice system

"Please refer to the Programs and Initiatives Section of the Department of Justice website for details of the Department's Three Year Transfer Payment Program Plan."

Strategic Outcome: A fair, relevant and accessible justice system that reflects Canadian values

Program Activity: Justice policies, laws and programs

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Victims of Crime Initiative

Start date: Victims of Crime Initiative (VCI) April 1, 2005, and Federal Victims Strategy (FVS) April 1, 2007

End date: VCI ongoing and FVS March 31, 2011

Description: The Victims Fund is a grants and contributions fund with broad terms and conditions designed to raise awareness and enhance services and assistance to victims of crime. The Victims Fund is administered by the Policy Centre for Victim Issues and provides support to victims of crime as well as to governmental and non-governmental organizations to implement a wide range of victim-focused projects and activities.

Recipients:

1. Individuals;
2. national, provincial, territorial, municipal, Aboriginal, community or professional organizations, societies or associations;
3. Canadian educational institutions/boards of education;
4. International governmental and non-governmental organizations, including bodies associated or affiliated with organizations of which Canada is a member, which have as their purpose victim advocacy, services, assistance or raising awareness about the impact of victimization;
5. private sector organizations sponsoring non-profit projects;
6. bands, tribal councils and self-governing First Nations who are working to provide services and assistance to victims of crime in Aboriginal communities;
7. provincial, territorial, municipal and regional governments and agencies.

Expected results:

• Increased access to services for victims
• Increased willingness of victims to participate in the criminal justice system
• Increased awareness and understanding among criminal justice system personnel, service providers and victims about victim issues, legislation and services available
• Reduced financial hardship for victims.

"Please refer to the Programs and Initiatives Section of the Department of Justice website for details of the Department's Three Year Transfer Payment Program Plan."

Strategic Outcome: A fair, relevant and accessible justice system that reflects Canadian values

Program Activity: Justice policies, laws and programs

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Youth Justice Services - Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision Program (voted)

Start date: April 1, 2002

End date: Ongoing

Description: The overall objective of this Program is to financially assist the provinces and territories in providing the specialized services required for the implementation of the Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision sentence (paragraph 42(2)(r) and subsection 42(7) of the Youth Criminal Justice Act) and other sentencing options applicable under the Act to serious violent youth offenders with mental health problems. It is expected that these services might reduce the likelihood of further violence in those convicted of the most serious violent offences.

Recipients: Provinces and territories.

Expected results:  Through the contributions signed under this Program, provinces and territories will have the financial capacity to implement sentencing options that involve specialized treatment programs to address the mental issues of serious violent youth offenders.

"Please refer to the Programs and Initiatives Section of the Department of Justice website for details of the Department's Three Year Transfer Payment Program Plan."

Strategic Outcome: A fair, relevant and accessible justice system that reflects Canadian values

Program Activity: Justice policies, laws and programs

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Implementation of Official languages Requirements under the Contraventions Act (Voted)

Start date: April 1, 2008

End date: Ongoing

Description: The Contraventions Act provides an alternative to the summary conviction procedure of the Criminal Code for the prosecution of certain offences under federal statutes and regulations. It allows certain federal offences to be prosecuted, using provincial court processes, by means of a ticketing scheme. Following a 2001 Federal Court decision concerning the implementation of the Act, the Department of Justice initiated the process of modifying existing Contraventions Act implementation agreements to address the language rights requirements identified by the Court. To support this process, the Department of Justice received funding to establish the Contraventions Act Fund. The overall program has three main areas of activities:

• Implementing the Contraventions Act with the consent and cooperation of each province and territory by permitting, through a regulatory incorporation, federal contraventions to be prosecuted in accordance with the provinces' and territories' respective offence schemes, together with their processes and procedures, and giving enforcement authorities a new tool to better enforce federal regulatory offences that have been designated as contraventions
• Allowing for the effective implementation of the Act through the negotiation with each province and territory of implementation agreements dealing with the administrative and procedural aspects of such implementation and, consistent with the Federal Court decision, identifying the means and mechanisms to address the language-rights requirements identified in that decision 
• Administering the Contraventions Act Fund to support provinces and territories in respect of judicial activities and extra-judicial services in both official languages to conform with the Federal Court decision in respect of proceedings instituted under the Contraventions Act

Recipients: Provincial and territorial departments and agencies and municipalities designated by provincial and territorial governments as being responsible for judicial activities and for providing extra-judicial services in both official languages.

Expected results:

• Judicial and extra-judicial services relating to prosecutions offered in both official languages
• Implementation of the Contraventions Act in all jurisdictions of Canada in a manner that is respectful of the quasi-constitutional language rights of Canadians

"Please refer to the Programs and Initiatives Section of the Department of Justice website for details of the Department's Three Year Transfer Payment Program Plan."

Strategic Outcome: A fair, relevant and accessible justice system that reflects Canadian values

Program Activity: Justice policies, laws and programs

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Youth Justice Fund (Voted)

Start date: 1999-2000

End date: Ongoing

Description: The overall objective of funding under the Youth Justice Fund is to encourage a fairer and more effective youth justice system. Funding is available for non-governmental organizations, youth justice stakeholders, Aboriginal organizations, and provinces/territories to help promote and implement alternative approaches to youth justice practices. Priorities are set annually based on identified gaps and emerging federal youth justice policies and priorities. The Youth Justice Fund has three ongoing funding areas – Youth Justice, Youth Crime Prevention (Guns, Gangs and Drugs), and the Youth Justice Anti-Drug Treatment Component (of the National Anti-Drug Strategy).

A variety of activities are eligible for funding support under the different components of the Youth Justice Fund. For example:

• training/educational activities for professionals and service providers;
• the organization and hosting of community meetings to create awareness of youth justice activities in a community and/or build support for a community-based youth justice initiative or workshops/conferences that encourage the sharing of information on best practices and lessons learned and provide opportunities for various sectors to meet and develop cross-sectoral solutions to support them in assuming effective roles;
• demonstration projects that test an innovative approach to delivering youth justice services at any key stage of the youth justice process and/or targeted at specific populations or issues such as reduce the overrepresentation of Aboriginal youth in the justice system, respond to youth in the youth justice system with mental health issues (including Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder), respond to gang-involved youth and violent offenders, or respond to youth with illicit substance abuse issues; and
• some research and evaluation activities to determine whether programs/activities are effective in dealing with youth in conflict with the law and/or are relevant for other regions or jurisdictions or which synthesize the results of existing research or contribute to a growing awareness and recognition of promising practices and models for ongoing or emerging youth justice issues.

Recipients: Non-governmental organizations, youth justice stakeholders, Aboriginal organizations and provinces/territories.

Expected results: The overall expected result is a fairer, more effective youth justice system.

Short-Term and Intermediate Outcomes:

• Increased responsiveness to emerging issues
• Increased community involvement
• Increased collaboration and knowledge development
• More effective rehabilitation and reintegration of young persons
• A more integrated coordinated approach

Within the Youth Justice Fund framework, the Guns, Gangs and Drugs and Anti-Drug Component (NADS) have the following expected results:

• Guns, Gangs and Drugs

  • Additional or enhanced programs aimed at preventing youth involvement in guns, gangs and drugs are being developed and used by the youth justice system
  • Targeted youth presented with a choice or alternative to guns, gangs and drugs.

• Anti-Drug Component

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

"Please refer to the Programs and Initiatives Section of the Department of Justice website for details of the Department's Three Year Transfer Payment Program Plan."

Strategic Outcome: A fair, relevant and accessible justice system that reflects Canadian values

Program Activity: Justice policies, laws and programs

Name of Transfer Payment Program: Access to Justice Services Agreements in the Territories (in the areas of Legal Aid, Aboriginal Courtwork and Public Legal education and Information Services) (Voted)

Start date: 1996

End date: Ongoing

Description: The goal of the Access to Justice Services Agreements is to integrate federal government funding support to Canada's three territories for access to justice services (including criminal and civil legal aid, Aboriginal Courtwork, and Public Legal Education and Information) through ongoing contribution agreements that allow the territories the flexibility needed to provide these services in a challenging environment (vast distances, harsh climate, cultural/linguistic differences). The overarching goal of federal support for Aboriginal Courtwork services is to facilitate and enhance access to justice by assisting Aboriginal people involved in the criminal justice system to obtain fair, just, equitable and culturally sensitive treatment. With regard to legal aid services in the territories, the federal goal is to enable the territories to provide legal aid services to economically disadvantaged persons involved in serious criminal, youth criminal justice and civil matters. And, with respect to public legal education and information, the goal is to assist the territories in providing members of the public with the legal information they need to make informed decisions and participate effectively in the justice system.

Recipients: Territorial governments that undertake to provide services to eligible persons and eligible young persons in matters relating to the overall objectives of the Access to Justice Services Agreements. The territories may authorize entities ("territorial access to justice services delivery entities") to provide services in these matters. In instances of court-ordered counsel in federal prosecutions, the recipient may also be a territorial access to justice services delivery entity.

Expected results: Contribution agreements signed with the territories will allow greater flexibility to allocate resources which will enable the territories to deliver access to justice services in the areas of Legal Aid (criminal and civil), Aboriginal Courtwork and Public Legal Education and Information.

"Please refer to the Programs and Initiatives Section of the Department of Justice website for details of the Department's Three Year Transfer Payment Program Plan."