Calendar of Consultation and Engagement Activities Being Undertaken by the Department of Justice Canada in 2021

Public-facing consultations on the creation of an independent Criminal Case Review Commission occurred throughout the summer of 2021. These consultations were led by the Honourable Harry LaForme, former justice of the Ontario Court of Appeal, and the Honourable Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré, former judge of the Court of Quebec. Consultations were conducted with a wide range of stakeholders on the potential structure and mandate of the new commission.

Various stakeholders including academics, NGOs, Indigenous Peoples, provincial and territorial governments and linguistic minorities

• A Miscarriages of Justice Commission – Annual Report

A public consultation took place from November 16, 2020 to February 14, 2021. The consultation took place exclusively online. A discussion paper underpinned the consultation. A dedicated website was created for the consultation and an online questionnaire was prepared for participants. Online forum discussions took place, and stakeholders and members of the Canadian public also directly provided Justice Canada with written submissions. Consultations focused on various reform options and recommendations on the path forward.

General public

• What we heard report

The federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) Aboriginal Justice Working Group (AJWG) engaged with community organizations on the Pan-Canadian Strategy to Address the Overrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples in the Criminal Justice System (PCS). Provinces and Territories consulted with their community networks on the recommendations related to the strategy and planned to engage further following additional information on how the Justice Canada-led engagement on the Indigenous Justice Strategy (IJS) would unfold. The AJWG was identified as the primary vehicle for their engagement with PTs on the IJS. The goals of this engagement were to identify priorities for actions to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples in the criminal justice system, identify linkages to ongoing National Indigenous Organizations’ initiatives, and discuss how they would like to be involved in these initiatives through an action plan moving forward.

Indigenous organizations

As per the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, the Government of Canada had to fulfil three inter-related legal obligations in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous Peoples: take all measures necessary to ensure consistency of federal laws with the Declaration; develop an action plan by June 2023 to achieve the objectives of the Declaration; and develop annual reports on progress and submit them to Parliament. The engagement process was broad, inclusive and distinctions-based. As a first step, on December 10, 2021, a call for proposals was launched to support the participation of Indigenous Peoples, governments and organizations in the engagement process. The call for proposals included funding to support Indigenous-led consultations.

Various stakeholders including Indigenous groups, youth, provincial and territorial governments and other federal departments and agencies

• What we learned report