Department of Justice - Role of the Department of Justice Canada in Family Violence Issues

Role of the Department of Justice Canada in Family Violence Issues

Our Mandate

The Department's role in family violence issues is based on its overall mandate, which includes two specific areas of responsibility:

Ensuring that Canada is a just and law-abiding society with an accessible, efficient and fair system of justice.

In the area of family violence, this responsibility includes working with provincial and territorial governments to improve the ways in which the criminal justice system responds to cases of family violence.
Promoting respect for rights and freedoms, the law and the Constitution.

In the area of family violence, this responsibility includes strengthening the criminal justice legal framework–by reinforcing existing policies and legislation and creating new policies or laws for dealing with family violence. These efforts must reflect the needs and realities of victims of family violence. They must also be consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

How are we funded ?

Every year, Justice Canada receives $1.45 million in funding through the Family Violence Initiative. The Department uses this money to:

review, develop and reform criminal justice laws and policy

conduct research to develop family violence policy and laws

provide project funding for community-based family violence projects

provide public legal education and information on family violence

Who uses this information?

These activities help Justice Canada gain new knowledge and develop new information resources. They also help the Department to prepare new laws or reform existing laws.

Outside Justice Canada, these activities provide information to a wide variety of groups. These groups include:

federal, provincial and territorial decision makers and policy officers

criminal justice system personnel working in policing, prosecutions, victims' services, corrections and the legal community

members of the family violence policy community in Canada and abroad (academics, other experts, victims' advocates, non-governmental organizations, etc.)

the general public

the media

Who else is involved in Justice Canada ?

Justice Canada also takes part in many related initiatives and activities, which are coordinated with the Family Violence Initiative.

For example, when family violence involves the following groups of people, the Family Violence Initiative works with the initiatives and activities focussing on:

Who else is involved outside Justice Canada ?

Other groups in Canada that take an active role in the effort to reduce family violence include:

provincial, territorial and municipal governments

First Nations associations

non-governmental organizations

professional associations

academic institutions

private sector organizations

Other federal departments that are a part of the Government of Canada's Family Violence Initiative work on a wide range of issues related to family violence, such as health, crime prevention, and housing. For more information on these other Departments and activities, please see the Government of Canada's Family Violence Initiative web site: 13 federal FVI partner departments.