OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/22/16 -- Department of Justice Canada
The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today issued the following statement:
"When I was appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, I was given a mandate by the Prime Minister that was, and continues to be, ambitious. At that time, I welcomed the opportunity to meet the important goals outlined in my mandate letter. Today, I remain as committed as ever to achieving them. As we approach the end of 2016, I am proud to say that we rose to the challenge, fulfilling many of our commitments and making strong progress on the remaining priorities.
The Prime Minister asked me to bring forward a number of important pieces of legislation and to ensure that our work demonstrates the greatest possible commitment to respecting the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This year, Parliament passed historic legislation to allow eligible patients who are suffering intolerably, and for whom death has become reasonably foreseeable, to obtain medical assistance in dying. As ambassador of the Charter, I also introduced legislation to promote equality and fair treatment under the law for all Canadians, including a bill to protect individuals from discrimination and hate based on their gender identity or expression and a bill to remove discriminatory Criminal Code provisions surrounding consensual sexual activity.
I worked with the Prime Minister to develop a new open and transparent process to filling vacancies at the Supreme Court of Canada with functionally bilingual candidates, which resulted in the appointment of the first Supreme Court Justice from Newfoundland and Labrador, Justice Malcolm Rowe. We also reformed the judicial appointments process for superior courts to ensure merit based appointments, and which will lead to appointments that better reflect the diversity of Canada.
I am incredibly proud of what we have done and have committed to doing to renew and transform our relationship with Indigenous peoples. Reconciliation is critical to ensuring we live in a Canada where everyone's potential is realized. I was honoured to be part of Canada's unqualified endorsement of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in May. Now, the Government is undertaking a review of federal laws and policies that impact the rights of Indigenous peoples. I look forward to working with my Cabinet colleagues and in partnership and consultation with First Nations, Inuit, and the Metis Nation to translate the promise of section 35 and the rights set out in the UN Declaration into real benefits for communities.
With support from my colleagues on the Cabinet Committee on Litigation Management, we began a comprehensive review of our litigation strategy to ensure the Government's position in court is consistent with the Charter, our commitments, and our values. Concrete examples of this litigation review include adopting a recognition of rights approach to litigation with Indigenous peoples; abandoning appeals in a number of Charter cases; and seeking to work collaboratively with litigants to explore policy and legislative changes.
I have also embarked on the long-term, collaborative work of reforming our criminal justice system so that it better serves Canadians. We have held roundtable conversations across the country, where we heard diverse local, provincial, and territorial perspectives on current realities and on ways to improve the justice system. The transformation of the criminal justice system will be a key priority throughout my mandate. Next year promises to be an equally exciting and challenging year as we mark Canada's 150th anniversary, as well as the 35th anniversary of the adoption of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and s. 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, which together enshrine the rights and freedoms of all Canadians, including Indigenous peoples. As we prepare for these important milestones, it is time for all Canadians to envision the country Canada should be.
I look forward to celebrating and continuing our work to promote respect for the rights and freedoms of all Canadians."
Related Products
-- Justice Highlights of 2016
Backgrounder
Justice Highlights of 2016
Below is a list of key accomplishments for the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada in 2016:
Legislation
Together with the Minister of Health, introduced and supported Parliament's enactment of legislation to allow eligible patients who are suffering intolerably and for whom death has become reasonably foreseeable to obtain medical assistance in dying.
Introduced and supported the passage by the House of Commons of Bill C-16 to add gender identity and gender expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Criminal Code and Canadian Human Rights Act. This Bill is now before the Senate.
Introduced legislation (Bill C-32) to amend the Criminal Code to repeal section 159 to remove discriminatory provisions surrounding consensual sexual activity.
Introduced legislation to amend the federal victim surcharge provisions in the Criminal Code that unfairly burden the less fortunate.
Judicial appointments process
The Minister supported the Prime Minister in developing a new open and transparent process to filling vacancies at the Supreme Court of Canada with functionally bilingual candidates. This resulted in the appointment of the first Supreme Court Justice from Newfoundland and Labrador, Justice Malcolm Rowe.
Reformed the judicial appointments process for superior courts to ensure merit based appointments through an open, transparent and accountable process that will promote diversity and gender balance in the judiciary and strengthen bilingual capacity. Changes include:
-- introducing diversity and unconscious bias training for members of the
judicial advisory committees who create the shortlist of judicial
applicants,
-- restoring the right of judicial members on the Judicial Advisory
Committees (JACs) to vote
-- re-introducing the "highly recommended" category,
-- reconstituting the JACs - through an open and transparent process
designed to ensure greater diversity, where members of the public can
apply to be one of the Minister's nominees,
-- providing for the collection and publishing of statistics and
demographic information on both applicants for and appointments to
judicial office to measure whether Canada is meeting its diversity
goals,
-- ensuring the selection process better assesses bilingual capacity, and
-- requiring all applicants, including provincial court judges, to undergo
the same assessment to ensure fairness in the application process.
Judicial Appointments
Filled 39 judicial vacancies, bringing the current national vacancy rate to 3.5 percent. Women represented 56 percent of the appointments, which included two members of visible minorities and three Indigenous people.
Elevated four judges to courts of appeal.
Appointed 22 Deputy Judges in the North.
Appointed three Regional Senior Judges in Ontario.
Review of Litigation Strategy
The litigation review includes adopting a recognition of rights approach to litigation with Indigenous peoples; abandoning appeals in a number of Charter cases; and seeking to work collaboratively with litigants to explore policy and legislative changes. To end appeals and positions not consistent with the Government's commitments and values or the Charter, the Government:
-- adopted, where possible, a more conciliatory approach to litigation with
Indigenous peoples (ex. Haida, Ignace),
-- intervened in Ktunaxa to outline the important interrelationship between
freedom of religion and Indigenous rights,
-- sought leave to Intervene in Nacho Nyak Dun v. Yukon to outline the
government's principles and objectives in respecting the nation-to-
nation relationship and reconciliation between governments and
indigenous peoples.
-- abandoned the appeal in Gariepy, a constitutional challenge to denial of
right to an in-person hearing upon suspension of parole,
-- abandoned the Niqab appeal (re. wearing of Niqab during citizenship
ceremony), and
-- abandoned the previous government's appeal of the federal government's
obligation to cover refugee health care costs.
The Prime Minister also established a Cabinet Committee on Litigation Management to address significant and cross-government policy issues, and ensure litigation instructions reflect the Government's policy direction, mandate and values. This Cabinet Committee will review litigation from many angles, including finance, policy and law, and will be an opportunity for the Minister's colleagues to provide input more broadly.
Criminal Justice System Review & Reform:
Conducted roundtables in eight of the thirteen provinces and territories to hear local practices and suggestions for improving the system.
Announced funding over the next five years to advance victim services and access to justice for victims and their families.
Increased funding for legal aid, with an additional $88 million over five years for criminal legal aid to the provinces and criminal and civil legal aid to the territories, with an additional $30 million ongoing after that.
Increased funding for the Indigenous Courtwork Program by an additional $4 million per year to assist Indigenous people facing the criminal justice system.
Nation-to Nation and Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
UNDRIP: Endorsed without qualification the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and prioritized the implementation of UNDRIP in Canada with the aim of building a true nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous peoples
Launched, in collaboration with the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs and the Minister of Status of Women, a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
Announced two new investments to increase support for Indigenous victims and survivors of crime and the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women:
-- $11.67 million over three years for Family Information Liaison Units
(FILUs) to be established within provincial and territorial victim
services as "one-stop shops" for families of missing and murdered
Indigenous women and girls seeking information about their loved ones
-- $4.5 million over four years, in addition to an existing $1 million per
year, to Indigenous organizations to provide community-based, trauma-
informed assistance for families of missing or murdered Indigenous women
to increase access to trauma or grief counselling, cultural ceremonies,
workshops for families or local or regional family gatherings
Delivered the Annual Reconciliation Lecture at the Australian National University, the first non-Australian to have done so.
The Minister, along with her cabinet colleagues, will undertake a joint effort with Indigenous Peoples, aimed at de-colonializing Canada's laws and policies.
Other important accomplishments:
Together with the Ministers of Health and Public Safety, launched the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation, with a view to legalizing, strictly regulating, and restricting access to cannabis.
On December 1, World AIDS Day, announced an effort to reduce stigma and discrimination against those living with HIV or AIDS by committing to work with the provinces and territories, affected communities and medical professionals to examine the criminal justice system's response to the non-disclosure of HIV status.
Contacts:
Valerie Gervais
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-4621
Media Relations Office
Department of Justice
613-957-4207
media@justice.gc.ca
