Department of Justice Component of Canada's Action Plan Against Racism, Formative Evaluation

2. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE COMPONENT OF THE ACTION PLAN


2. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE COMPONENT
OF THE ACTION PLAN

This section of the report describes the Justice component of the Action Plan, including its goals, activities, management structure and resources.

2.1. Program logic

This sub-section describes the program logic linking the types of activities that the Justice Department undertakes as part of the Action Plan and their expected results.

2.1.1. Program activities and outputs

As one of the federal partners in implementing the Action Plan, the Department concentrates its efforts on activities in the three following areas:

Addressing race-based issues in the justice system:

conducting research and consultations to assess the problem of overrepresentation of certain groups in the justice system and the perception of racial profiling by police and security forces;

Interventions for victims and perpetrators of hate crimes:

exploring initiatives that respond to the special needs of victims of hate crimes and interventions that reduce recidivism in those who commit such crimes by conducting consultations and research; and,

Countering Internet-based hate crime:

investigating the problem of borderless communication of hate propaganda through the Internet.

2.1.2. Expected results

The implementation of the activities noted above is expected to contribute to the achievement of a series of immediate, intermediate and long-term outcomes.

In the short term, the Department’s activities under the Action Plan are expected to result in:

In the medium term, the Department’s activities under the Action Plan are expected to result in:

In the long term, the Department’s activities under the Action Plan are expected to result in:

Finally, the Department’s activities under the Action Plan are ultimately expected to contribute to the elimination of racism and the achievement of equitable socio-economic outcomes for all Canadians. 

2.2. Management Structure

The overall success of and accountability for the three Justice-led initiatives rests with the Director General, Youth Justice, Strategic Initiatives and Law Reform Unit within the Policy Sector of the Department.  In March 2006, the Director General appointed a Justice Coordinator for Canada’s Action Plan Against Racism (hereafter the “Justice Coordinator”), who is responsible for overseeing the Justice’s component of the Action Plan and acting as the principal point of contact for the Department on this file.  The Justice Coordinator reports directly to the Director General; liaises with the departmental Advisory Committee on Visible Minorities; establishes mechanisms within the Department that facilitate work under the Action Plan (e.g. funding criteria); coordinates projects and activities with colleagues within the Department; and represents the Department at interdepartmental meetings regarding this file, etc. 

In March 2006, the Justice Coordinator established a Justice Steering Committee for Canada’s Action Plan Against Racism.  Steering Committee meetings occur twice a year (once in May and once in November) and provide members with the opportunity to provide an update on the status of Action Plan activities and to discuss upcoming priorities and events.  Additionally, Committee members work with the Justice Coordinator to create objectives and goals for the implementation of activities under the Action Plan, review proposals, submissions and research initiatives for funding through the Action Plan, act as a sounding board for departmental activities and priorities and advise on departmental obligations and links to other relevant work.  This approach is key to ensuring that linkages are made within the Department. For the most part, the Committee is comprised of employees from other areas within Justice who receive funds to undertake activities under the Action Plan (e.g. Research and Statistics Division, Public Law Policy, Human Rights Law, Aboriginal Justice, Evaluation Division, Programs Branch) or who are working on files that are relevant to the Department’s work under the Action Plan (Anti-terrorism Act Review Team, Office of the Northern Region).  The Committee is chaired by the Justice Coordinator.

The Department of Justice receives funds directly from Treasury Board to operate its specific initiatives.  Funds are then distributed through the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister’s office to the Strategic Initiatives Unit, Public Law Policy Section, Research and Statistics Division, Programs Branch and Evaluation Division within the Department for their initiatives under the Action Plan. 

Funding for Justice initiatives under the Action Plan is distributed through a variety of mechanisms, including contracts, contribution agreements, and memoranda of understanding. 

G&C funding provided through the Justice component of the Action Plan is administered through the Programs Branch Justice Partnership and Innovation Program (JPIP), a G&C program that allows the Department to develop and test approaches in relation to newly reformed justice systems and improvements to the delivery of justice services in collaboration with organizations, other levels of government and individuals whose technical expertise is valued.  Interested organizations submit their funding proposals to the Department’s Programs Branch for review and consideration.  The A/Director of the Innovations, Analysis and Integration Directorate of the Programs Branch then facilitates the review of each project proposal to ensure that it is complete and consistent with the Terms and Conditions of the JPIP.  When a proposal is incomplete, a letter is sent to the applicant requesting that he provide additional information.  Completed applications are then reviewed by members of the Justice Steering Committee for Canada’s Action Plan Against Racism, who determine whether the proposal is consistent with departmental priorities under the Action Plan and merits funding.  When this is the case, senior management approval is sought to fund the project.

2.3. Resources

As part of the Action Plan, the Department of Justice will receive a total of $6.7 million over five years (2005-06 to 2009-10).  Additionally, $500,000 has been allocated on an ongoing basis for an initiative directed towards combating hate on the Internet.  Table 1 (below) illustrates the annual distribution of Vote 1 (Salaries and Operations) and Vote 5 (G&C) funds for the Justice component of the Action Plan.

Table 1: Distribution of funds for Justice Component of the Action Plan against Racism
Year Vote 1 Vote 5 Subtotal Accommodation 13% Total
Grants Contributions
2005-06 1,249,377 50,000 50,000 1,349,377 50,623 1,400,000
2006-07 999,377 100,000 250,000 1,349,377 50,623 1,400,000
2007-08 807,270 100,000 750,000 1,657,270 42,730 1,700,000
2008-09 807,270 100,000 750,000 1,657,270 42,730 1,700,000
2009-10 & ongoing 50,000   450,000 500,000   500,000
TOTAL 3,913,294 350,000 2,250,000 6,513,294 186,707 6,700,001

Although Canada’s Action Plan Against Racism was announced on March 21, 2005, the Department did not receive approval for the Justice component of the initiative until November 1, 2005 and the appointment of a Justice Coordinator for the Action Plan did not occur until March 6, 2006 due to hiring procedures.  As such, the Department did not actually receive funds in 2005-06 to support activities under the Action Plan.  As a result, actual expenditures associated with the Justice’s component of the Action Plan have been lower than expected during the first two years of program implementation.