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Minister’s Message

I am pleased to present the Department of Justice's strategic plan for 2012–2013.

This document sets out how we intend to provide a more balanced justice system that protects law-abiding Canadians and holds criminals to account.

Throughout the coming year, we will continue to implement a legislative agenda that is responsive to what is happening in our streets and communities. This includes reforms aimed at strengthening our laws and meeting the needs of victims.

We will continue to develop policy on issues of criminal law, youth criminal justice, family law, access to justice, Aboriginal justice and victims' issues. We will also optimize our legal services to federal departments and agencies.

While the Government continues to look for efficiencies with public finances, the Department of Justice will maintain its commitment to excellence in the delivery of programs and services.

I look forward to maintaining dialogue with all levels of government, non-governmental organizations, the legal community and all Canadians, so that our justice system reflects the expectations of Canadians.

Section I: Organizational Overview

Raison d’être

Responsibilities

The Department of Justice was officially established in 1868, when the Department of Justice Act was passed in Parliament. That act laid out the roles and responsibilities of the Department as well as those of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.

Under that act and some 50 statutes passed since then, the Department of Justice fulfills three distinctive roles within the Government of Canada. It acts as:

• A policy department with broad responsibilities for overseeing all matters relating to the administration of justice that fall within the federal domain. In this capacity, it helps to ensure a fair, relevant and accessible justice system for all Canadians.
• A provider of a range of legal advisory, litigation and legislative services to government departments and agencies
• A central agency responsible for supporting the Minister in advising Cabinet on all legal matters.

The Department of Justice has approximately 5,100 dedicated, full-time-equivalent employees. Approximately 3,000 of these employees are located in the National Capital Region while the other 2,100 employees provide a strong national presence through a network of regional offices and sub-offices positioned across the country.

Roughly one half of departmental staff are lawyers who provide legal services to client departments and agencies. The other half are professionals who provide research, analysis and various types of support to the Department. These professionals include paralegals, social scientists, program managers, communications specialists, administrative services personnel, computer service professionals and financial officers.

Strategic Outcome(s) and Program Activity Architecture

The graphic representation of the Program Activity Architecture (PAA) below¹ illustrates how the Department intends to provide results for Canadians by aligning various departmental program activities and sub-activities with the strategic outcomes and Government of Canada outcome areas they support.

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The Department of Justice aims to achieve two strategic outcomes that reflect the dual role of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.

• Strategic Outcome A, A fair, relevant and accessible Canadian justice system: This strategic outcome supports the Minister of Justice, particularly in his role as steward of the Canadian justice system, by dealing with policy questions through two program activities.
• Strategic Outcome B, A federal government that is supported by high-quality legal services: This strategic outcome supports the Attorney General's role as the chief law officer for the Crown. One program activity in the Department helps to fulfil this responsibility.

Internal Services support both strategic outcomes.

Organizational Priorities

Priority	Type2	Strategic Outcome(s) and/or Program Activity(ies)
To enhance the personal safety and security of citizens	Ongoing	S.O. A – A fair, relevant and accessible Canadian justice system. P.A. A.1 – Stewardship of the Canadian Legal Framework
Description
Why is this a priority? This priority supports the Government of Canada's most fundamental duties, which are to protect the personal safety and security of citizens.3 Rapid technological advances, changing social structures, domestic and international threats and shifting international political environments are impacting the way in which the justice system addresses personal safety and security. Activities that support this priority will contribute to the fairness and relevance of the justice system. By ensuring that laws and programs related to personal safety and security remain modern and effective, the Department is aiming to increase Canadians' confidence in the adult and youth criminal justice systems, and increase Canadians' satisfaction with their personal safety. Plans for meeting the priority Develop criminal law reform proposals to strengthen the legal framework, as well as to address new technologies, public security, criminal procedure, international cooperation and terrorism. Continue to engage the provinces and territories in efforts to identify emerging issues and determine appropriate responses to improve the justice system. Support programs and services aimed at strengthening the Canadian justice system. Continue to lead the interdepartmental National Anti-Drug Strategy.

Priority	Type	Strategic Outcome(s) and/or Program Activity(ies)
To support victims of crime	Ongoing	S.O. A – A fair, relevant and accessible Canadian justice system. P.A. A.1 – Stewardship of the Canadian Legal Framework
Description
Why is this a priority? Facilitating victim participation in the criminal justice process supports the maintenance of a fair, relevant and accessible Canadian justice system. Giving victims of crime a more effective voice strengthens their contribution to the criminal justice system and supports the Department's stewardship of the Canadian legal framework. Plans for meeting the priority Develop and fund victim-focused programs in collaboration with partners and stakeholders to advance victim policy. Provide registered victims of crime with funding to attend Parole Board of Canada hearings. Ensure that citizens victimized abroad receive financial assistance, where eligible. Lead national awareness initiatives and support activities related to ongoing and emerging victim needs and services.

Priority	Type	Strategic Outcome(s) and/or Program Activity(ies)
To support a healthy Canadian economy through high-quality legal services	New	S.O. B – A federal government that is supported by high-quality legal services. P.A. B.1 – Legal Services to Government
Description
Why is this a priority? The Department of Justice is responsible for providing legal services in support of the Government's priority to return to budgetary balance. This includes supporting the implementation of fiscal restraint measures. Plans for meeting the priority Provide a variety of legal services to support the return to budgetary balance, including: legal advice and litigation services related to policies, programs and initiatives of all federal departments and agencies; and legislative and regulatory drafting services aimed at improving government efficiency through legislative reform.

Priority	Type	Strategic Outcome(s) and/or Program Activity(ies)
To manage organizational change in the context of expenditure restraint	New	S.O. A – A fair, relevant and accessible Canadian justice system. S.O. B – A federal government that is supported by high-quality legal services
Description
Why is this a priority? Adjusting programs and initiatives will help to achieve the Government's priority of returning to budgetary balance while minimizing the impact on Canadians. This will allow for the continued sustainability of a fair, relevant and accessible Canadian justice system. The available resources of the Department's client organizations will also decrease as a result of efforts to return to a balanced budget. The Department will help its clients manage their demand for legal services to ensure that departments and agencies continue to receive high-quality legal services in this period of fiscal restraint. The Department will also manage how its internal services are provided in light of the financial restrictions. It will find efficiencies where possible, while continuing to support high-quality legal services to the Government and a fair, relevant and accessible Canadian justice system. Plans for meeting the priority Support organizational change and workforce management as appropriate. Make a concerted effort to work with clients across the Government to deliver legal services to clients efficiently.

Risk Analysis

The Department of Justice continues to integrate risk management considerations into its corporate planning and decision making, including organizational priority setting, to minimize threats and capitalize on opportunities. The operating environment is regularly assessed to identify potential risks to the Department's capacity to deliver legal services to government effectively and fulfill its responsibilities regarding the stewardship of the Canadian legal framework. Areas of risk currently being managed by the Department are described below.

Risks to Stewardship of the Canadian Legal Framework

With regard to the stewardship of the Canadian legal framework, one area of risk is the Department's ability to address funding challenges in light of ongoing fiscal pressures. Another area of risk is the complex policy process. This complex operating environment requires strong partnerships for effective justice policy development and program delivery.

To mitigate these risks, the Department is strengthening its business planning and budgeting to ensure that finances are aligned with high-priority programs. Steps are being taken to realign human resources to better address the shifting workload demands that result from the increasingly complex and more demanding policy process. Finally, in recognition that the justice system is multi-tiered and influenced by many stakeholders, the Department is continuing its efforts to maintain and expand open dialogue with partners from across the system. Through this dialogue, the Department continues to work with its partners to develop innovative ideas about how to strengthen the justice system.

Risks to Legal Services to Government Program

The Department's reliance on cost recovery, particularly in an environment of fiscal restraint, represents a key area of risk. Specifically, other government departments and agencies may feel pressure to reduce the funding they provide to Justice for legal services. This is significant since Justice carries the salary and operating liability of providing legal services in an environment where future demands for services and revenues may be changing. In response, the Department has achieved efficiencies, in part through its law practice model, and will continue to do so. The Department is also working with clients to help find sound ways of managing demand for legal services and is continually looking for ways to improve its legal workforce flexibility. These strategies will be facilitated by improvements to the Department's cost-recovery and forecasting processes, as set out in Section II, Internal Services Planning Highlights.

In light of current demands for specialized and complex legal services, an additional risk pertains to capacity issues facing departmental corporate functions that support the delivery of legal services. To manage this risk, Justice is monitoring and assessing corporate capacity with a view to ensuring a balance of corporate resources across the Department.

Justice is also managing a risk related to its capacity to address the rapid changes in law practice management; particularly the sheer growth in the speed and volume of information that is crucial to effective management. In this regard, the Department is focusing on developing and enhancing tools, systems, processes and skills to support effective case management, knowledge management, legal risk management, dispute prevention and resolution, and quality assurance of legal services. This includes business alignment and prioritization of departmental information management and information technology initiatives.

Finally, another risk area concerns succession planning and the Department's ability to recruit and retain highly skilled legal professionals in a competitive environment. In response, the Department continues to implement initiatives to renew its work force in light of significant demographic shifts in Canada, including an aging work force and an increasingly diverse Canadian population.

Planning Summary

Financial Resources ($ millions)

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
739.9	708.1	680.5

Note: Financial Resources are based on Main Estimates and exclude respendable revenue. In addition, estimated amount of Paylist requirements for all three years and the approximate amount of Operating Budget Carry Forward for 2012–13 are included in the plan.

Human Resources (FTEs)

2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
5,098	5,098	5,098

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

Performance Indicators	Targets4
Canada's international ranking with respect to fairness of the justice system	10th (by March 2013)
Percentage of Canadians who rate the accessibility of the Canadian justice system as "good" or "very good"	80% (by March 2014)

Planning Summary Table
($ millions)

Program Activity	Forecast Spending 2011-12	Planned Spending			Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes
		2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
A1 Stewardship of the Canadian Legal Framework	430.62	409.73	404.13	380.89	A safe and secure Canada For further details, please see the departmental website.
A2 Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime	1.41	1.30	1.30	1.30	A safe and secure Canada For further details, please see the departmental website.
Total Planned Spending		411.03	405.43	382.19

Note: Planned spending for 2012–13 includes the estimated amount of Operating Budget Carry Forward to be allocated to Program Activity A1 Stewardship of the Canadian Legal Framework.

Strategic Outcome B: A federal government that is supported by high-quality legal services

Performance Indicators	Targets
Client satisfaction rating on...
the overall quality of legal services;	8.0/10 (by June 2015)
the accessibility/responsiveness of legal services;	8.0/10 (by June 2015)
the usefulness of legal services; and	8.0/10 (by June 2015)
the timeliness of legal services.	8.0/10 (by June 2015)

Planning Summary Table
($ millions)

Program Activity	Forecast Spending 2011-12	Planned Spending			Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes
		2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
B1 Legal Services to Government	168.49	199.87	194.91	191.73	Well-managed and efficient government operations For further details, please see the departmental website.
Total Planned Spending		199.87	194.91	191.73

Note: Forecast and planned spending of Legal Services to Government excludes respendable revenue. Planned spending for 2012–13 includes the estimated amount of Operating Budget Carry Forward to be allocated to this program activity.

Internal Services

Planning Summary Table
($ millions)

Program Activity	Forecast Spending 2011-12	Planned Spending
		2012-13	2013-14	2014-15
Internal Services	151.62	129.02	107.77	106.62
Total Planned Spending		129.02	107.77	106.62

Note: Forecast and planned spending of Internal Services excludes respendable revenue. In addition, estimated amount of Paylist requirements for all three years and the anticipated amount of Operating Budget Carry Forward for 2012-13 are included in the planned spending.

Contribution to the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy

The Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) outlines the Government of Canada's commitment to improving the transparency of environmental decision making by articulating its key strategic environmental goals and targets. The Department of Justice ensures that consideration of these outcomes is an integral part of its decision-making processes. In particular, through the federal Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process, any new policy, plan or program initiative includes an analysis of its impact on attaining the FSDS goals and targets. The results of SEAs are made public when an initiative is announced, demonstrating the Department's commitment to achieving the FSDS goals and targets.

The Department of Justice contributes to Theme IV: Shrinking the Environmental Footprint – Beginning with Government, as denoted by the visual identifier below.

Theme IV:
Shrinking the Environmental Footprint –
Beginning with Government

This contribution is a component of Internal Services and is further explained in Section II, Program Activity C1: Internal Services.

For additional details on the Department of Justice's activities to support sustainable development, please see Section II of this RPP and the Department's website. For complete details on the FSDS, see Environment Canada's website.

Expenditure Profile

As depicted in the chart below, the Department's total planned spending is expected to decline in 2012–13 to $1,058.7 million. As the primary provider of legal services to other federal government departments and agencies, the Department of Justice has the Net Vote Authority to collect and spend revenue from such services as part of its Vote 1 authority. In departmental reporting, these respendable revenues reduce total departmental authorities and expenditures. The total amount in respendable revenue is expected to increase by $10.9 million, for a total of $318.8 million in 2012–13. The Department of Justice net spending is based on total expenditures less the revenues collected.

[text version]

In fiscal year 2012–13, the Department plans to spend $371.1 million on Operating Expenditures and $368.8 million on Grants and Contributions, and expects to receive $318.8 million in revenues. The Department plans to spend $411 million on promoting a fair, relevant and accessible justice system; $199.9 million (excluding planned respendable revenues of $275.1 million) on ensuring that the federal government is supported by high-quality legal services; and $129 million (excluding respendable revenue of $43.7 million) on internal support services.

In fiscal year 2012–13, the decline in net spending (which includes Operating Expenditures - $371.1 million, and Grants and Contributions - $368.8 million) mainly reflects the sunsetting of three areas of spending⁵—the Aboriginal Justice Strategy program, funding for activities related to legal aid, and funding for the management of immigration cases involving classified information under Division 9 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act—and the transfer of funds for the establishment of Shared Services Canada (as set out in orders in council).

Net spending variances for prior years

In fiscal year 2011–12, Department of Justice spending is forecasted to decrease by $6.3 million compared to 2012–11. The decrease is explained in part by:

• the transfer of resources to Shared Services Canada; and
• a one-time amount that the Department expects to receive to cover the severance pay disbursement for Public Service Alliance of Canada members and for members of other groups such as EX, DM and LC.

Net spending in 2012–11 declined by $37.9 million compared to 2009–10 because of several factors, including:

• the one-time funding received in 2009–10 for the arbitral award granted to the Law Group;
• the implementation of the cost-containment measures announced in Budget 2010; and
• the lower Operating Budget Carry Forward for 2012–11.

In 2009–10, the Department's net spending increased by $50.9 million compared to 2008–09 due to funding received for the following initiatives or programs:

• one-time funding to meet the financial implications resulting from the arbitral award granted to the Law Group;
• additional funding to cover the economic wage increases of other collective agreements that were ratified;
• a one-time transfer from Citizenship and Immigration Canada with regard to immigration and refugee legal aid funding; and
• funding for the implementation of the Justice Training Component of the Initiative in support of Access to Justice in Both Official Languages.

Estimates by Vote

For information on the Department's organizational appropriations, please see the 2012–13 Main Estimates publication.

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