2020–21 Departmental Results Report
Results at a Glance
Through its core responsibilities of Legal Services delivery and Justice System Support, the Department of Justice Canada supported a broad range of government initiatives and ministerial mandate letter commitments in 2020-21. To ensure strong and evidence-based public policy and good governance, the Department applied a range of critical considerations to its work, which included legal risk analysis; diversity and inclusion such as Gender-Based Analysis PlusEndnote i (GBA Plus); privacy; modern treaty implications; and strategic environmental assessment.
- What funds were used?
$832,853,145Footnote 1 (total actual spending for 2020-21)
- Who was involved?
4,722 (total actual full-time equivalents for 2020-21)
- Results Highlights
The following provides an overview of the Department of Justice Canada’s key achievements in 2020-21 for each of its core responsibilities, as well as its internal services.
Legal Services
Notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department supported the implementation of Government of Canada priorities through the delivery of high-quality, integrated legal services – specifically, advisory, litigation and legislative services.
Key achievements:
- Provided the legal services necessary to respond to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through numerous public health measures (including testing and vaccination programs), efforts to secure access to vaccines and personal protective equipment for Canadians, and the implementation of an unprecedented economic support package for employers, businesses and Canadians in general (including funding for emergency measures and key emergency-response programs).
- Collaborated on the urgent development, drafting and implementation of multiple bills, regulations and interim orders in relation to COVID-19, including emergency orders pursuant to the Quarantine ActEndnote ii (e.g. limiting entry into Canada and imposing public health measures on arriving travellers) and interim orders pursuant to the Food and Drugs ActEndnote iii (e.g. for streamlining health product approvals, holding clinical trials for medical devices and drugs, and preventing or alleviating drug shortages).
- Supported the parliamentary consideration and enactment of Bill C-7Endnote iv, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying), which includes important changes as to who may be eligible to obtain medical assistance in dying and the assessment process.
- Contributed to the development and parliamentary consideration of Bill C-6Endnote v, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy).
- Supported the Government’s successful defence of the constitutionality of the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing ActEndnote vi before the Supreme Court of Canada.
Justice System Support
The Department played an essential role in promoting respect for rights and access to justice, as well as working to ensure a fair, relevant, accessible and efficient legal framework and a justice system that effectively responds to the causes and consequences of offending.
Key achievements:
- Supported the development and introduction of Bill C-15Endnote vii, An Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, with respect to the implementation of the Declaration at the federal level.
- Co-led work on the Justice pillar of the Federal PathwayEndnote viii, the federal component of the National Action PlanEndnote ix in response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
- Secured important new investments to strengthen the implementation of the Gladue PrinciplesEndnote x across the criminal justice system, to support the negotiation of administration of justice agreements with Indigenous communities, and to support community justice centre pilots.
- Supported the development and introduction of Bill C-22Endnote xi, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which proposes sentencing reform measures to help address the overrepresentation of Indigenous people, Black people and marginalized Canadians in the criminal justice system by repealing mandatory minimum penalties for certain offences, allowing for a greater use of conditional sentence orders, and encouraging measures other than charges or prosecution for simple possession of drugs.
- Supported the development and introduction of Bill C-23Endnote xii, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Identification of Criminals Act and to make related amendments to other Acts (COVID-19 response and other measures), to address challenges faced throughout the criminal justice system caused or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Internal Services
Lastly, the Department promoted legal and business excellence with a strategic focus on its workforce, on innovation and collaboration, and on open, transparent and accountable operations.
Key achievements:
- Established a new Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Secretariat to lead efforts across the Department to identify and eliminate all forms of systemic discrimination, to ensure a representative, diverse and inclusive organization, and to influence policy and process development.
- Continued fostering a psychologically healthy, safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace through the implementation of departmental mental health initiatives, a new departmental policy on workplace harassment and violence prevention, and an internal Ombuds office.
- Improved network infrastructure and access to new software and reliable digital platforms, which supported the transition to remote work. A forward-thinking approach to risk assessment also contributed to information management and information technology readiness and to enhancing service delivery.
For more information on the Department of Justice Canada’s plans, priorities and results achieved, see the “Results: What We Achieved” section of this report.
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