2015–16 Departmental Performance Report
Minister's Message
As Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, I am pleased to present the Department of Justice’s 2015-16 Departmental Performance Report.
This report outlines how the Department has successfully supported the federal government with high-quality advisory, legislative, and litigation services over the past year.
This year, the Department helped advance the Government of Canada’s priorities on several fronts. Among its objectives was to begin working to renew Canada’s nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous peoples. Justice officials collaborated with their federal colleagues to establish the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada. They also worked with their federal, provincial, and territorial counterparts to coordinate the response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system.
The Department has also launched a criminal justice system review through consultation and collaboration with stakeholders to improve the justice system with reforms that respect the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Canadian values.
To assist the Government in its response to Carter v. Canada on physician-assisted dyingFootnote 1, the Department helped establish an external panel and assisted a Parliamentary Special Joint Committee in studying the issue. I would also like to highlight the collaboration and partnership we developed with our major partner Health Canada, which worked with officials in our Department and the provinces and territories to develop the subsequent legislation, which received Royal Assent in June 2016.
In addition, Justice officials also supported implementation of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights and developed Canada’s position for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem.
Over the past year, the Department has continued to transform its organizational structure to support business and legal excellence. In an effort to improve its business practices, it has worked to modernize the way it delivers internal services, through such means as using digital information and tools more widely.
In all of their work, Justice staff helped support the Government’s commitment to upholding the Constitution and the rule of law, and developed public law policy to help the Government advance related domestic and international legal and policy interests. Departmental officials helped make certain that new legislation met the highest standards for equity, fairness, and respect for the rule of law.
I would like to thank all Justice employees for their service on behalf of the Government and people of Canada. Their contributions help ensure a fair, relevant and accessible justice system that reflects Canadian values.
Gilakas’la.
The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Q.C., P.C., M.P.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
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