Evaluation of the Contraventions Act Program

1 Introduction

1.1 Purpose of the Evaluation

The evaluation of the Contraventions Act Program is part of the Department of Justice Canada’s (hereafter Justice) Five-Year Departmental Evaluation Plan (2019-20 to 2023-24) and was conducted in accordance with the Treasury Board’s Policy on Results and the Financial Administration Act. It was also designed and planned to align with the broader accountability process related to the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023 since the Contraventions Act Fund is part of the Community pillar of the Action Plan.

1.2 Evaluation Scope

The evaluation covered four fiscal years, namely the period from 2016-17 to 2019-20. It assessed activities undertaken by Justice, particularly those of the Programs Branch, to support the implementation and management of the contraventions regime, as well as measures undertaken by all provincial governments and municipalities where the Regime is operational.

More specifically, the evaluation aimed to document the experience of the participating provinces and municipalities and the broader impact that the contraventions regime has had to date on these jurisdictions. Such information is expected to support the efforts of Justice in pursuing the implementation of the regime in jurisdictions where it is not yet operational.

The evaluation also explored the impact that the contraventions regime has had on enforcement authorities. Ultimately, the Contraventions Act provides enforcement authorities with an additional means by which they can carry out their respective mandate. The benefits that Canadians may expect from the Regime is therefore dependent on the extent to which enforcement authorities operationalize the Regime, which includes having the organizational capacity to use it.

While focussing on the impact of the contraventions regime, the evaluation also provides an update on findings, recommendations and actions from the 2017 evaluation related to its relevance and effectiveness.

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