2. 2023-2024 Main Estimates

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Overview – 2023-24 Main Estimates

• The Department of Justice is seeking $987.6 million through 2023-24 Main Estimates, versus $921.8 million in 2022-23 Main Estimates, which represents a net increase of $65.8 million. These appropriations exclude Vote-Netted Revenue Authorities and centrally managed costs (i.e., PSPC, SSC). The net increase is explained by:
  • $30.0 million net additional funding for criminal legal aid: to increase the federal contribution to criminal legal aid services to support access to justice for Canadians who are unable to pay for legal support (announced in Budget 2022) (one-time funding of $60.0 million in 2023-24);
  • $14.2 million for the implementation of the United National Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act: to stabilize and accelerate work on the implementation of the legislated requirements set out in the UNDA, including to develop an action plan to achieve the Declaration’s objectives, to identify measures to ensure that the laws of Canada are consistent with the UNDA, and to ensure that annual reports on progress are submitted to Parliament, in collaboration with Indigenous partners (announced in Budget 2022) ($61.0 million over five years, starting in 2022-23, and $10.3 million ongoing);
  • $7.3 million to support government-wide legislative and regulatory initiatives: to renew, on a permanent basis, the temporary Regulatory Review positions and to increase general capacity to better support government-wide legislative and regulatory initiatives. This funding will be used to deliver more effectively the Government’s legislative and regulatory agenda (announced in the Fall Economic Statement 2022) ($44.7 million over 5 years starting in 2022-23, and $11.5 million ongoing);
  • $7.0 million to support new and expand existing court-supervised addictions treatment programs provided by drug treatment courts across Canada: to contribute to reduced recidivism rates by supporting offenders in addressing their cycle of addiction and criminal behaviour with a particular focus on offenders from marginalized and vulnerable populations (horizontal item announced in Budget 2021) (top-up funding of $24.5 million over 4 years, starting in 2022-23, and $7.0 million on an ongoing basis);
  • $2.7 million additional funding to advance the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence: to help ensure access to free legal advice and legal representation for victims of sexual assault and for victims of intimate partner violence, to provide additional supports for victims of intimate partner violence to navigate the criminal and family justice systems, and to support supervision services for parenting time in cases of separation and divorce to protect the safety and well-being of children and families (announced in Budget 2021) ($113.5 million over five years starting in 2021-22);
  • $1.4 million to provide legal services and supports for racialized communities: to support the provision of culturally appropriate legal information and resources and to pilot legal advice services for racialized individuals across Canada. This adjustment is a realignment (reprofile) of funding not accessed from a previous year in order to maintain the commitment to invest $21.5 million over 5 years as announced in Budget 2021;
  • $0.6 million additional funding to support community justice centres: to support pilot projects in British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario, to support other provinces and territories in holding consultations to determine how the CJC concept could be implemented in their jurisdictions, and have a national CJC program ready to be implemented at the end of the five year initiative (announced in Fall Economic Statement 2020) ($28.6 million over five years starting in 2021-22);
  • -$7.3 million sunset of funding to respond to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Final Report: Reclaiming Power and Place: to support the Family Information Liaison Units and Community-Based Services to provide direct support and assistance to families of victims (announced in the Fall Economic Statement 2019) ($21.9 million over three years starting in 2020-21).
    • Budget 2023 announced the renewal of existing programs and to expand them to include support for families of 2SLGBTQI+ Indigenous victims who are men, through an investment of $95.8 million over five years, starting in 2023-24, and $20.4 million ongoing, and the funding will be accessed through future Estimates processes.
• The remainder of the variance is explained by a $9.9 million net increase mainly from other technical adjustments to reference levels, such as an increase to the Employee Benefit Plan (EBP) and an increase to the Department’s Vote-Netted Revenue Authority to better align with the increase in demand for legal services.

Department of Justice and Portfolio Organizations’ 2023-24 Main Estimates

• The following nine portfolio organizations fall under the responsibility of the Minister of Justice:
  • Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada;
  • Canadian Human Rights Commission;
  • Courts Administration Service;
  • Department of Justice Canada;
  • Law Commission of Canada;
  • Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada;
  • Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions;
  • Offices of the Information and Privacy Commissioners of Canada^{Footnote 1}; and
  • Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada.
• 2023-24 Main Estimates include a total of $2.25 billion for the Justice portfolio. The Department of Justice is the largest organization within the portfolio, with 44 percent of the overall budget.
• 2023-24 Main Estimates show an increase of $109.1 million from 2022-23 Main Estimates, with 60 percent of the increase attributable to the Department of Justice, and 21 percent of the increase attributable to the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs (CFJA). The increase for CFJA is mainly due to an increase in statutory appropriations, which represents the increase in salaries and benefits for federal judges.
• In addition, the Department of Justice receives Vote-Netted Revenue Authority of $442.0 million to collect and re-spend revenues to support the provision of legal services to other government departments and agencies. The remainder of the portfolio also receives Vote-Netted Revenue Authority of $62.4 million (mostly split between the Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions), for a total of $504.4 million.
• Including these revenue authorities, the Justice Portfolio has a total budgetary authority of $2.75 billion.

2023-24 Main Estimates for the Justice Portfolio (in millions)^{Footnote *}

2023-24 Vote-Netted Revenues for the Justice Portfolio (in millions)

Vote-Netted Revenue is the authority by which an organization has permission to collect revenues and offset related expenditures.

Funding for the Implementation of the United National Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Budget 2022) – Increase of $14.2 million in 2023-24 ($61.0 million over 5 years starting in 2022-23 and $10.3 million ongoing)

• The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act came into force on June 21, 2021, providing a framework for the Government of Canada and Indigenous peoples to work together to implement the UN Declaration, based on lasting reconciliation, healing, and cooperative relations.
• The Act requires the Government of Canada, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples, to:
  • Take all measures necessary to ensure the laws of Canada are consistent with the Declaration;
  • Prepare and implement an action plan to achieve the Declaration’s objectives, by June 2023; and
  • Table an annual report on progress to align the laws of Canada and on the action plan.
• The implementation of the UN Declaration is a whole of government commitment and I am being supported in this work by all Ministers, and particularly by the Ministers of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Indigenous Services, and Natural Resources.
• The Department of Justice is committed to implementing the UN Declaration Act through broad, inclusive and distinctions-based consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples, to ensure comprehensive, equitable input by Indigenous partners.
• This is generational work. The investment provided through Budget 2022 will enable Justice to support Indigenous peoples’ participation in the ongoing implementation of the UN Declaration Act over the years to come.

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Funding:

(in millions of dollars)

Background:

Budget 2021 committed $31.5 million over two years to support implementation of the UN Declaration Act (UNDA). This includes approximately $23.6 million to support Indigenous participation in the engagement process, including support for Indigenous-led consultations. On December 10, 2021, the Department of Justice launched an engagement process that included a call for proposals. By the close of the call for proposals, Justice had received 208 applications totaling nearly $100 million in funding asks. Following the call that closed on April 15, 2022, Justice approved funding to 151 Indigenous governments, representative organizations and groups. Justice continues to work with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) to ensure funding is being flowed to successful applicants.

Budget 2022 also committed $65.8 million over five years, starting in 2022-23, and $11 million ongoing, to Justice Canada and Natural Resources Canada to accelerate work to meet legislated requirements, including continuing support for Indigenous partners to continue to contribute meaningfully to the implementation of the UN Declaration Act. Justice Canada obtained approval from Treasury Board in Fall 2022 to access this funding. For Justice Canada, Budget 2022 announced $64 million over five years (2022-23 to 2027-28), and $11 million ongoing to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UN Declaration Act). [Redacted]

The Department continues to work closely with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis rights holders, their representative organizations, and other Indigenous organizations, in order to better understand their priorities to help shape the initial draft of an Action Plan and to identify potential measures for aligning federal laws with the UN Declaration. The draft Action Plan and a What We Learned to Date report were released in March 2023. We are currently validating before the Action Plan is finalized by June 2023. Following completion, the Action Plan will be tabled in Parliament and made public.

Funding to Support Government-Wide Legislative and Regulatory Initiatives – Increase of $7.3 million in 2023-24 ($44.7 million over 5 years starting in 2022-23 and $11.5 million ongoing)

• The Fall Economic Statement 2022 announced funding in the amount of $44.7M over five years starting in 2022-2023 and $11.5M ongoing (excluding centrally managed costs), to increase general capacity in the Department of Justice Canada to better support government-wide legislative and regulatory priorities.
• Access to this funding will allow the Department to increase the number of legislative counsel working on bill drafting. It will also enable it to increase the number of staff for critical revision services and renew, on a permanent basis, temporary positions for regulatory drafting.
• Ensuring that the Department of Justice is appropriately staffed to support key operations and meet mandate commitments is essential to support the Government of Canada. Ultimately, with this additional workforce, the Government’s legislative and regulatory agenda will be delivered more effectively, with its desired impacts on the Canadian population in different areas, including the economy, environment, and safety and security.

Question: Why do you need more employees?
Answer: With more appropriate staffing levels, Justice Canada will be in a better position to meet increased demand and urgent timelines in response to government priorities for legislation and regulations. Therefore, the Government will be better supported in its strategic outcomes and will be able to expect a greater volume of high quality legislative texts in relation to both the implementation of its policy and program agenda and the coordination of its responses to emergency situations.

Question: How is this a good use of taxpayers’ money?
Answer: Ensuring that the Department of Justice is appropriately staffed to support key operations and meet mandate commitments is essential to support workers and ultimately results in a better service to Canadians.

Funding:

(in millions of dollars)

Background:

One of the Department of Justice’s key mandates is to provide a range of legal services, including legislative services, to the Government of Canada and its departments and agencies so that the Government can deliver its policy and programs through legislation and regulations. The Department of Justice assists the government in exercising this function as the sole unit responsible for drafting and reviewing federal government bills and regulations and motions to amend bills already before Parliament; harmonization of federal legislation with the civil law of Quebec; updating, consolidation and publication of federal statutes and regulations.

In 2019-20, funding in the amount of $23.7 million over five years was approved, which is due to sunset in 2023-24, to hire significant temporary employees to support the Regulatory Review initiative to modernize various regulatory regimes, primarily in the areas of food, medicines/controlled drugs and transport sectors. In recent years, Justice Canada had to divert many resources to address the Government’s more pressing priorities or to implement its legislative response to emergency situations, including the pandemic. As a result, the work under the Regulatory Review initiative is not yet complete.

Simply put, there are more files, they are more complex and they require more drafting resources than ever before. Both legislative and regulatory forward plans, as well as mandate letters, demonstrate an appetite for legislative texts well beyond current capacity.

The funding will increase legislative and regulatory drafting services capacity by:

• Increasing the number of legislative counsel in the Legislation Section (bill drafting);
• Increasing the number of legistic revisors and jurilinguists for revision services; and
• Renewing, on a permanent basis, temporary positions for regulatory drafting and revision/jurilinguistic services.

This funding will allow Justice Canada to secure resources to address demand in a more complex responsive and fluid environment, as well as to provide surge capacity during peak periods, like Budget Implementation season and in crisis situations, and alleviate the high workload. In the longer term, the government’s legislative and regulatory agenda will be delivered more effectively.

Funding to Support New and Expand Existing Court-Supervised Addictions Treatment Programs Provided by Drug Treatment Courts across Canada (Budget 2021) (horizontal item) – increase of $7.0 million in 2023-24 and ongoing

• This $7.0 million increase in funding in 2023-24 and ongoing to the Drug Treatment Court Funding Program (DTCFP) will support the operation and expansion of existing Drug Treatment Courts (DTCs) as well as the establishment of new sites.
• The funding supports two priorities identified in the 2020 Speech from the Throne: (1) Addressing the opioid crisis; and (2) Addressing systemic racism in the criminal justice system. These priorities were reiterated in my Mandate and Supplementary Mandate Letters.
• The funding contributes to reduced recidivism rates by supporting offenders in addressing their cycle of addiction and criminal behaviour, with a particular focus on offenders from marginalized and vulnerable populations. It also contributes to addressing Canada’s opioid overdose crisis by making available treatment as an alternative to incarceration for non-violent offenders suffering from substance use disorder.

Question: Are federally funded Drug Treatment Courts effective at reducing criminal recidivism?
Answer: Drug Treatment Courts are an innovative and effective approach to helping offenders address their cycle of addiction and criminal behaviour. A recidivism study of the federally funded DTCs undertaken on behalf of the Department in 2022 revealed that participants in a Drug Treatment Court had a 36% lower likelihood of receiving new criminal charges at any point after 365 days from their DTC start date, relative to the non-participants comparison group from the beginning of their community supervision period.

Question: How does this new funding contribute to addressing the overrepresentation of offenders from marginalized and vulnerable populations in the criminal justice system?
Answer: The new funding allows jurisdictions to expand the range of culturally safe and responsive programming made available through DTCs, to better support offenders from marginalized and vulnerable populations. Evidence shows that such programming helps reduce recidivism and, therefore, the over-representation of individuals from these communities in the criminal justice system.

Funding:

(in millions of dollars)

Background:

Drug Treatment Courts (DTCs) offer non-violent offenders with problematic substance use the opportunity to complete a court monitored drug treatment program as an alternative to incarceration. DTCs take a comprehensive approach intended to reduce the number of crimes committed to support drug dependency through judicial supervision, comprehensive substance abuse treatment, random and frequent drug testing, incentives and sanctions, clinical case management, and social services support. This approach supports offenders in addressing their cycle of problematic substance use and criminal behaviour and has been successful as a means of reducing criminal recidivism.

The Evaluation of the Drug Treatment Court Funding Program conducted in 2021 and the Recidivism Study completed in 2022 highlighted the relevance and efficacy of the DTCFP. The Evaluation noted that DTC programming is highly individualized and offers tailored content based on participants’ needs and identity factors. The Evaluation noted the benefits from the program, even for the participants who did not graduate, and the program’s positive impacts on recidivism.

The Recidivism study completed in 2022 revealed that DTC participants had a 36% lower likelihood of receiving new criminal charges at any point after 365 days from their DTC start date relative to the non-participants comparison group from the beginning of their community supervision period.

Both the Evaluation and the Recidivism Study confirmed that Drug Treatment Courts are an innovative and effective approach to helping offenders address their cycle of addiction and criminal behaviour.

Justice Canada officials continue to engage their PT counterparts with a view to allocating the additional Drug Treatment Court Funding Program funding received in Budget 2021. Funding agreements covering fiscal years 2021-2023 are in place with new agreements covering April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2028 to be offered to provinces and territories by the end of fiscal year 2022-2023.

As of February 2023, there are 21 federally funded active DTCs. This number will increase as Justice Canada continues to allocate the additional funding received in Budget 2021 for the expansion of DTCs.

Funding to Provide Legal Services and Supports for Racialized Communities – Increase of $1.4 million in 2023-24

• Budget 2021 provided $21.5 million over five years, starting in 2021-22, to support the provision of culturally appropriate legal information and resources and to pilot legal advice services for racialized communities across Canada.
• This investment supports the priority identified in my Supplementary Mandate Letter in January 2021 to address systemic racism and invest in actions to address systemic inequities in the criminal justice system.
• To date, 28 projects are being funded through the initiative, with projects commencing in 2022-2023. This funding is supporting community organizations and legal clinics across the country to reduce gaps in accessing justice for racialized communities, including Indigenous peoples, and to empower individuals to be active participants in addressing their legal matters.

Question: Why has the funding increased by $1.4 million in 2023-2024?
Answer: As funding was only able to commence in 2022-2023, the Department received approval to redistribute $4.3 million from 2021-2022 to the remaining years of the initiative. An additional fiscal year was also added to ensure the funding is available to recipients over five years.

The redistribution of funds has allowed the Department to support a greater number and diversity of projects. To date, these funds have allowed the Department to support an additional four projects. These additional projects are supporting diverse racialized communities, including low income racialized communities in Winnipeg, racialized self-representing individuals in Saskatoon, racialized francophone communities in southern Ontario, and newcomers in Peel, Ontario. Additional projects are being developed to work with Indigenous communities in the North and across Ontario.

Question: Some organizations led by non-racialized groups were funded through this initiative. Can you explain the rationale behind this decision?
Answer: This funding was specifically intended to address challenges for racialized communities in accessing legal information and services. Although not all projects are being led by racialized groups, successful applicants were required to have confirmed partnerships and engagement with racialized communities or organizations. Proposals were assessed to ensure that all activities were culturally appropriate and inclusive in their design, and in the delivery of legal supports and services.

Funding:

(in millions of dollars)

Background:

In the 2020 Speech from the Throne, the Government of Canada emphasized the need to address systemic racism in Canada. The experience of racialized communities in the Canadian justice system is one that is marked by overrepresentation in the criminal justice system and unequal treatment.

Budget 2021 announced $21.5 million in funding over five years to support the provision of culturally appropriate legal information and resources and to pilot legal advice services for racialized communities across Canada. This funding will support organizations that provide free public legal education and information as well as organizations that provide legal services and advice to racialized communities.

In November 2021, the Department launched a call for proposals for Legal Services and Supports for Racialized Communities through the Justice Partnership and Innovation Program (JPIP). The funding aims to reduce the gaps in accessing justice for racialized communities, including Indigenous peoples, by increasing their understanding of the law and their rights, how to exercise those rights in legal matters and to make informed decisions. To date, 28 projects led by community organizations and legal clinic across 11 jurisdictions have been approved for funding.

Funding for Criminal Legal Aid – One-Time Increase of $60.0 million in 2023-24

• Budget 2022 increased the federal investment by $60 million for a total of $202.4 million for 2023-24, to assist the provinces and territories in the delivery of criminal legal aid services.
• This increase in federal funding builds upon previous investments to support provinces and territories to maintain service and technological improvements that were implemented as a result of the pandemic.
• This additional support will also help address the overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples, individuals from Black and other racialized communities, as well as those with mental health issues before the criminal courts.

Question: Why was only one year of additional funding provided?
Answer: Justice Canada remains committed to working with provinces, territories and their respective legal aid plans to address legal aid pressures and explore options to respond to future funding needs.

Question: The criminal justice system is in need of additional resources to improve access to justice for Canadians, especially for those who continue to be overrepresented in the criminal justice system. How does the department plan on addressing this issue beyond 2023-24?
Answer: Justice Canada is aware of the criminal legal aid system’s fiscal pressures, disparities and disproportionalities across the jurisdictions. The past decades have seen a criminal justice system characterized by the over-representation of Indigenous peoples, Black Canadians and vulnerable persons such as those experiencing mental health and/or substance use issues. To address these systemic pressures, I remain committed to continuing to work with my provincial and territorial counterparts, so that the justice system remains accessible to all Canadians.

Funding:

(in millions of dollars)

Background:

This additional $60 million, announced in Budget 2022, will be delivered through an existing transfer payment program, the Legal Aid Program. Through the federal Legal Aid Program, the Department of Justice Canada (Justice) provides contribution funding towards the cost of adult and youth criminal legal aid services in the provinces, and criminal and civil legal aid services in the territories (through the Access to Justice Services Agreements).

Federal funding for criminal legal aid helps promote fair legal proceedings and ensure access to justice for economically disadvantaged persons, including vulnerable populations (i.e., Indigenous peoples, individuals from Black or other racialized communities, and vulnerable persons such as those with mental health and/or substance use disorders). Provinces and territories are responsible for the delivery of legal aid services, including the type and scope of services provided. Legal aid service providers allow for the provision of legal aid services to qualified individuals (i.e., low income; complexity of legal issue; merit criteria).

Federal funding for criminal legal aid is allocated to provinces and territories according to a needs-based distribution formula negotiated with them, which takes into account legal aid demand factors (persons charged, Indigenous population, males aged 12 to 34 and proportion of low income) and service delivery costs.

Between 2007 and 2016, federal funding for criminal legal aid was capped at approximately $112 million annually. Budget 2016 provided an additional $88 million for criminal legal aid over five years (2016-17 to 2020-21), which included $2 million annually to support the development of new or to sustain existing innovations. Beginning 2021-22, an additional $30 million in annual funding, which was announced in Budget 2016, will maintain annual criminal legal aid base funding at $142,385,463 on an ongoing basis. The Fall Economic Statement 2020 included an additional $40 million to respond to the impact of COVID-19. From this, an additional $10 million was provided in 2021-22 and an additional $30 million in 2022-23.

New five-year contribution agreements covering the period April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2026 were recently negotiated with all jurisdictions with the exception of Quebec, whose agreement will cover the period April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2024.

Funding to Advance the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (Budget 2021) (horizontal item) – Increase of $2.7 million in 2023-24

• As part of efforts to advance the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, Budget 2021 provided $85.3M over five years to help ensure access to free independent legal advice (ILA) and legal representation (ILR) for survivors of sexual assault ($32.5M) and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) ($16.25M), as well as to provide additional supports for victims of IPV to navigate the family justice system ($35M).
• Budget 2021 also provided $28.4M over five years to support supervision services for parenting time in cases of separation and divorce, to protect the safety and well-being of children and families.
• These investments support my 2019 mandate letter commitment to work with provinces and territories to provide free legal advice and support to survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence.

Question: Why has the funding increased by $2.7M this year?
Answer: Due to delays in the start date of most projects funded through these investments, less funding was used in 2021-22 than anticipated. The additional $2.7M for this year represents a redistribution of those unused funds to later years to ensure that we can meet the objectives of this funding.

Question: How will the investment in additional supports for victims of IPV help to respond to the increased rates of IPV that have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic?
Answer: Survivors of intimate partner violence need assistance beyond that which is provided in the criminal justice system. This funding will support efforts to improve family justice system responses to intimate partner violence by enhancing victim safety, increasing access to services and promoting safe case outcomes for family members. Funding for independent legal advice will support survivors to access the information and resources required to make informed decisions about their particular circumstance and enhance their access to the justice system.

Funding:

(in millions of dollars)

Background:

Justice Canada is the lead of the Federal Victims Strategy (FVS), a horizontal federal initiative that was originally launched in 2000 as the Victims of Crime Initiative. The objective of the FVS is to give victims of crime a more effective voice in the criminal justice system. The FVS supports Justice Canada’s mandate to ensure that Canada is a just and law-abiding society with an accessible, efficient and fair system of justice. The FVS reflects the Department’s strategic outcome of providing “a fair, relevant and accessible justice system that reflects Canadian values.” Within the Department, the FVS is led by the Policy Centre for Victim Issues and includes the Victims Fund.

Victims Fund

The Victims Fund is a core component of the Justice FVS, used to advance departmental policy priorities in the area of victims of crime; identify emerging areas of concern and practice; identify and advance promising practises; and advance shared objectives with respect to victim issues with other levels of government and non-governmental stakeholders. It is also one of the few ways the federal government can support victims and survivors of crime due to the constitutional division of powers (e.g. through the provision of grants and contributions to provincial and territorial governments, victim serving agencies and individual victims of crime).

The Victims Fund provides funding supports to a number of program components including: enhancements to provincial and territorial victims services, Child Advocacy Centres, Canadian Victims Abroad, victims’ attendance at Parole Board hearings, victim services and assistance to families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and measures to enhance trauma-informed services for victims of sexual assault and survivors of human trafficking.

The Federal Strategy to Address and Combat Gender-Based Violence and the Development of a National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence

The Government of Canada announced “It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence” (the Strategy) in June 2017. The Strategy is the federal government’s response to gender-based violence (GBV), and builds on current federal initiatives, coordinates existing programs and lays the foundation for greater action on GBV. The Strategy’s initiatives are organized across three pillars: preventing gender-based violence; supporting survivors and their families; and promoting responsive legal and justice systems.

Budgets 2017 and 2018 provided over $200 million starting in 2017-18 until 2022-23 and over $40 million per year ongoing to establish, launch, and expand the Strategy. Justice Canada did not receive funding through these Budget allocations.

Budget 2021 announced over $600 million in additional funding over five years to build on work addressing GBV in Canada and to advance the development of a National Action Plan on GBV. Of this investment, Justice Canada will spend over $113 million to support the development and enhancement of free independent legal advice and independent legal representation (ILA/ILR) programs for victims of sexual assault and intimate partner violence through the Victims Fund and the Justice Partnership and Innovation Program (JPIP). In addition, funding through JPIP will assist victims of intimate partner violence to access and navigate the family justice system and improve justice system responses to this type of violence. Also, this funding will support provinces and territories to provide supervision services for parenting time and transfers through the Canadian Family Justice Fund.

Budget 2022 proposed to provide $539.3 million over five years, starting in 2022-23, to Women and Gender Equality Canada to enable provinces and territories to supplement and enhance services and supports within their jurisdictions to prevent gender-based violence and support survivors. This investment will support provinces and territories in their efforts to implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, which was launched on November 9, 2022.

The Justice Partnership and Innovation Program

The Justice Partnership and Innovation Program supports activities that respond effectively to the changing conditions affecting Canadian justice policy. Whether it is promoting or supporting newly reformed justice systems or improving the delivery of justice services, the Program allows the Department to develop and test these approaches in collaboration with non-governmental organizations and with other levels of government.

The Canadian Family Justice Fund

Family law is an area of shared responsibility between the federal government and the provinces and territories.

The Government of Canada is committed to improving access to justice for families experiencing separation and divorce. An important aspect of this commitment is financial support for family justice services.

The overall objective of the Canadian Family Justice Fund is to facilitate access to the family justice system for families experiencing separation and divorce.

Funding to Support Community Justice Centres (Fall Economic Statement 2020) – Increase of $0.6 million in 2023-24

• Through the Fall Economic Statement 2020, the Government of Canada provided $28.6 million over five years to support Community Justice Centre pilot projects in British Columbia, Ontario and Manitoba. The funding will also support community engagement to expand the Community Justice Centre concept to other provinces and territories.
• This investment supports my 2019 mandate letter commitment to work with provinces and territories to establish a Community Justice Centres program to put courts alongside other critical social services.
• Pilots in BC and Ontario have been funded to date, along with community engagement in seven jurisdictions to explore the expansion of Community Justice Centres to other provinces and territories. The Department is continuing to work with the province of Manitoba on the development of a pilot.

Question: Why has the funding increased by $0.6 million in 2023-2024?
Answer: Due to delays in the start of pilots, including the ongoing development of a pilot in Manitoba, less funding was used in 2021-2022 than originally anticipated. The additional $0.6 million for 2023-2024 represents a redistribution of unused funds from the first year of the initiative to later years to ensure the pilots can be properly supported to achieve the objectives of the funding.

Question: How is this funding aligned with the Government of Canada’s commitments relating to Indigenous justice and reconciliation?
Answer: The requirement of CJCs to be community-driven will provide opportunities for Indigenous communities to establish their own community justice processes and related services that are responsive to their specific needs. CJCs allow for the integration of mainstream criminal justice system processes and Indigenous restorative justice processes.

• Not all CJCs will focus on Indigenous communities; however, the pilot funded in British Columbia is supporting the BC First Nations Justice Council in implementing their Indigenous Justice Centres. This represents an important step in bringing meaningful transformation within the justice system and supporting the recognition and implementation of Indigenous justice systems in British Columbia.
• One of the Ontario Justice Centres pilot sites is in Kenora and is focused on targeting Indigenous overrepresentation in the criminal justice system. It will aim to increase referrals to existing Indigenous restorative justice processes, reducing bail and remand populations, and providing multi-sectoral trauma-informed supports delivered by Indigenous organizations and service providers.

Funding:

(in millions of dollars)

Background:

Through the Fall Economic Statement 2020, the Government of Canada provided $28.6 million over five years, commencing in 2021-22, to support Community Justice Centres (CJCs) pilot projects in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario, as well as community engagement to expand the CJCs concept to other provinces and jurisdictions.

CJCs are an innovative approach for moving justice out of the traditional courtroom and into a community setting. They bring together justice, health, employment, education, and social services to collectively address the root causes of crime, break the cycle of offending, and improve public safety and community well-being.

Through the integration of culturally appropriate services, CJCs can help decrease the overrepresentation of Indigenous people and Black Canadians in the criminal justice system, and provide solutions to systemic issues.

Through the Justice Partnership and Innovation Program (JPIP), the Government of Canada announced over $8.9 million in funding over five years to the BC First Nations Justice Council to pilot a CJC model across the province. The funding will support the expansion of the organization’s Indigenous Justice Centres, as well as the development of a Virtual Indigenous Justice Centre, a unique web-based platform that allows for the delivery of remote legal services to Indigenous people across the province. The Indigenous Justice Centres will provide culturally appropriate legal information, advice, support, and representation directly to Indigenous people at the community level.

In December 2022, funding through the JPIP was also approved for the Government of Ontario, Ministry of the Attorney General in the amount of $11 million over four years. The funding is supporting the expansion of Ontario’s Justice Centres pilot, a court-based approach that seeks to address the intersection of poverty, homelessness, addictions and systemic racism within the criminal justice system. The Justice Centres co-locate and integrate courts with social services, based on needs and priorities identified by each community.

The JPIP is continuing to work Manitoba on the development of a CJC pilot proposal. In addition, work continues to support the expansion of the CJC concept in other jurisdictions. Through the JPIP, funding to seven jurisdictions in 2022-2023 was approved to facilitate community engagement sessions to assess interest, feasibility and priorities for possible CJC models.

Funding to Respond to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Final Report: Reclaiming Power and Place – Reduction of $7.3 million in 2023-24

• On May 29, 2023, the Government of Canada announced the renewal and provision of ongoing annual support for Family Information Liaison Units (FILUs) and the Community Support and Healing for Families initiative (CSHF), so that they can continue to deliver critical services to families of missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP) across the country.
• With the renewed and enhanced support of $9.6 million in 23/24, and $11.9 million annually, FILUs and CSHF will become an ongoing resource for Indigenous families in search of information on their missing or murdered loved ones, and healing supports for as long as is needed.
• FILUs are one of many key federal initiatives to help address the national tragedy of MMIWG, in addition to initiatives to address the ongoing impacts and the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Question: Why does it appear that there is no funding allocated to FILUs and Community Support and Healing for families in 2023?
Answer: Funding does appear to decrease for these high need services, due to the Budget 2023 increase not being accessed through Main Estimates. Funding for FILUs and CSHF initiatives will flow through Supplementary Estimates (A), which were tabled in the House on May 30, 2023.

We can confirm that FILUs and Community Support and Healing for Families will continue to receive funding through 2023-24 at enhanced levels of federal support, in the amount of $9.6 million in 2023-24, and $11.9 million annually on an ongoing basis.

Question: What is the relationship between Budget 2023 and the May 29 funding announcement in support of Indigenous victims, survivors and family members?
Answer: Following Budget 2023, the Department of Justice announced funding of $95.8 million over five years and $20.4 million annually ongoing to expand support for families of missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP) and Indigenous victims and survivors of crime.

This investment will expand funding and the scope of Justice Canada supports for families of MMIP (specifically Family Information Liaison Units and the Community Support and Healing for Families initiative). While the focus will remain on families of MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+, this new funding will permit opportunities to also support families of missing or murdered men and boys.

This announcement also included a new investment to increase access to Indigenous-led or co-developed services and supports for Indigenous victims and survivors of crime. This new funding is ongoing and is delivered through the well-established Justice Canada Federal Victims Strategy.

Funding:

(in millions of dollars)

Note: The Vote 1 – Operating total includes salary, non salary and employee benefit plan and excludes PSPC Accommodation fees and SSC IT Services Costs.

Background:

Funding for Family Information Liaison Units (FILUs) (total of $11.7 million over three years) was announced in August 2016 for provincial and territorial governments through the Justice Canada Federal Victims Strategy (Victims Fund) with funding ending March 31, 2019.

As part of the response by the Department of Justice to the national inquiry’s interim report in 2018, family information liaison unit operations were renewed for an additional year with funding available extended to March 31, 2020.

Continued funding for FILUs ($14,010,000 for an additional 3 years) was announced on December 4th, 2019, by Minister Lametti at the AFN Special Chiefs Assembly. Funding for FILUs was previously set to end March 31, 2023.

On May 29, 2023, the Department of Justice announced funding of $95.8 million over five years and $20.4 million annually ongoing to expand support for families of missing and murdered Indigenous people (MMIP) and Indigenous victims and survivors of crime.

This investment will support families of MMIP through Family Information Liaison Units (FILUs), which ensure that families have access to culturally grounded teams to help them overcome the systemic and geographic barriers in accessing information about their loved ones. Additionally, the enhanced Community Support and Healing for Families initiative (CSHF), will ensure that families of MMIP have access to community-based, Indigenous-led support to assist them with the grief and trauma of their loss. While the focus will remain on families of MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+, this new funding for will permit opportunities to also support families of missing or murdered men and boys.

FILUs are a specialized service for family members of missing or murdered Indigenous women and girls across Canada. They were established in response to concerns raised by family members about the ongoing structural and systemic difficulties they experience in accessing information from government agencies about their missing or murdered loved one.

FILUs are located in every province and territory across Canada and build on existing victim services frameworks. FILUs also draw on the knowledge, experiences, and expertise of family members and Indigenous community organizations, who have informed the design and delivery of FILU services. FILUs work together across the country, with other federal departments, led by Justice Canada, to ensure that family members have access to information from all other jurisdictions and abroad and that FILUs share best practices and knowledge. FILUs by all accounts help families on their healing journey. They have organized the return of loved ones remains to the community sometimes from across the country and have helped organize releasing ceremonies with the family. They have also helped family members to access ceremonies and other services they are seeking. Since FILUs have been in operation, they have helped to achieve significant developments and outcomes, including:

• Helping family members across Canada access information about their loved one’s murder or disappearance, which up until now, they felt was unavailable to them due to geographic barriers, the historical nature of their loved one’s murder or disappearance, or other barriers to accessing government records;
• Providing concrete opportunities for family members to move forward on their healing journey;
• Re-connecting siblings and family members who were separated as children;
• Providing an opportunity for organizational change as government agencies at all levels and across jurisdictions are learning more about how their actions and inactions have had a significant impact on families through information sharing sessions organized by FILUs; and,
• Providing opportunities to build trust by redefining the relationships between family members and police, medical examiners or other government agencies, grounded in recognition, respect, and understanding.

Provincial, territorial and federal partners have noted that FILUs provide them with an opportunity to collaborate with all other governments and community partners to assist families of missing or murdered Indigenous women and girls across Canada. In response, the Department of Justice has announced its intention to renew FILUs on an ongoing basis.

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