Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Support Fund

1. Introduction

1. Introduction

The Action Plan for Official Languages (the Action Plan) was unveiled by the Government of Canada in 2003. In it, the federal government reiterated its commitment to linguistic duality, to enhancing the vitality of official language minority communities (OLMCs) and to promoting the use of both official languages in Canadian society. Recognizing that the justice system plays a role in the three priority areas to be addressed (education, community development and an exemplary public service), the Action Plan allocated $45.5 million over five years to the Department of Justice (the Department) to support the implementation of the Legislative Instruments Re-enactment Act, the implementation of the Contraventions Act, and improved access to justice in both official languages.[1] To achieve the third objective, the Department established the Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Support Fund (the Support Fund). The Department of Justice undertook a comprehensive evaluation of the Support Fund, and this document is the final report on that evaluation.

1.1. Background

This evaluation was initiated in September 2006. It covers activities undertaken in the first three years of the Support Fund (2003-2004 to 2005-2006) and part of the current, fourth year of the program.

The comprehensive evaluation of the Support Fund is part of a broader evaluation of the Official Languages Program (OLP) that is currently under way[2]. In 2005, the Government of Canada developed a horizontal results-based management and accountability framework (HRMAF) for the OLP. This evaluation of the Support Fund is part of the performance measurement, evaluation and reporting strategy set out in the HRMAF.

1.2. Objectives

The main objective of the comprehensive evaluation is to examine the Support Fund and determine the extent to which it is achieving its objectives. The evaluation deals with issues relating to relevance, structure and implementation, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness. The comprehensive evaluation is also intended to identify the prerequisites for an effective evaluation of future impacts of the Support Fund.

Appendix A sets out the evaluation questions that guided this process.

1.3. Structure of the Report

This report is divided into six main sections, including this introduction. Section 2.0 sets out a detailed description of the Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Support Fund; Section 3.0 describes the methodology used for this comprehensive evaluation; Section 4.0 presents the evaluation findings; Section 5.0 presents conclusions in relation to each evaluation issue ans Section 6.0 presents the recommandations and management response.