2020-21 Departmental Plan

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Minister's Message

I am pleased to present the Department of Justice Canada’s 2020-2021 Departmental Plan.

Our department has a robust mandate for the coming year, one informed by the rapidly evolving world around us - both within Canada and beyond. As society shifts, our justice system responds and modernizes to make sure Canadians can trust their government institutions and have confidence in their justice system. The 2020-21 Departmental Plan sets the course to help guide our efforts in meeting these important objectives.

The coming fiscal year will see the Department continue its progress in making our justice system more effective and accessible for all Canadians, especially the most vulnerable. This lies at the heart of Canada’s promise as a country in which all individuals enjoy equal entitlement to the protections of the law. These principles will guide our work as we take important steps forward with our government partners on social issues that have a direct impact on the lives of millions of Canadians, including the right to choose medically assisted death, Indigenous justice and rights, gun control, LGBTQ2S+ rights, and privacy rights, among others.

Notably, the Department is working closely with Health Canada to lead an inclusive process to review Canada’s medical assistance in dying framework, in response to the Superior Court of Québec’s September 2019 ruling. To this end, in January 2020, we consulted with Canadians, provinces, territories and key stakeholders to ensure our legal framework reflects Canadians’ views on this complex and deeply personal issue. This remains a key priority in the coming year.

Another key shift in Canadian society is the momentum to advance reconciliation and build a renewed relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Justice Canada is involved in a number of significant initiatives that are helping to move this process forward. In 2020-21, we will work with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada on critical issues such as engaging with Indigenous groups on implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples through the co-development and tabling of legislation in that regard. These efforts also include responses to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, as well as continued support of the Government’s response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Calls for Justice.

The Department will also focus on modernizing outdated policies and laws that no longer reflect the inclusive and open Canada we are building together. This includes supporting legislative measures to ban conversion therapy - a practice that is out of step with a modern Canada that is accepting of all people, no matter their identity or orientation. We will help advance Canada’s Digital Charter by developing tools and strategies to keep Canadians, and their personal information, safe online, and will take steps to combat online crime and hate speech.

Work will also continue reducing court delays, and providing more legal support to survivors of sexual assault and intimate-partner violence. We are moving forward with legislation to help ensure that judges participate in training in sexual assault law, thereby enhancing public confidence and the confidence of survivors of sexual assault. As part of amendments to the Department of Justice Act that came into force in December 2019, Charter Statements will be tabled for all new federal bills to inform parliamentary and public debate and help increase awareness and understanding of the Charter. As well, as part of our commitment to adopt the recommendations in the Review of the Roles of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (McLellan Report), we will identify opportunities to inform Canadians and parliamentarians of the unique dual role of the Minister of Justice and the Attorney of General Canada.

In all of these measures, we will focus on promoting access to justice, providing real results for Canadians and continued improvements to the justice system. As Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, I encourage Canadians to read this 2020-21 Departmental Plan and find out what we are doing to deliver on mandate commitments. I have full confidence that the Department will continue to serve all Canadians in an open and transparent way; helping them gain a greater understanding and confidence in their justice system.

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