Justice and Public Safety Ministers conclude productive meeting on joint priorities

Yellowknife, NWT - October 18, 2024 - Today, federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) Attorneys General and ministers of Justice and Public Safety concluded two days of discussions on justice and public safety priorities.

In an earlier separate meeting, ministers also engaged with representatives from the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and the Métis National Council. Discussions allowed participants to share their perspectives on several key issues: Indigenous policing, the federal government's proposed Indigenous Justice Strategy and the federal United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

Bail system

Federal, provincial and territorial governments have a part to play in ensuring that the bail system is working as intended. Following significant collaboration, Criminal Code amendments were enacted with the objective to enhance public safety and maintain public confidence in the administration of justice. Ministers acknowledged that despite the changes, significant concerns remain. They agreed that monitoring the effectiveness of Bill C-48 is needed and that jurisdictions will continue to collaborate to support an effective bail system. Collecting, analyzing and reporting on reliable data on bail are critical to supporting the proper administration of the bail system and addressing concerns about public safety. Ministers acknowledged the need to further consider legislative and non-legislative measures.

Legal aid funding

Access to justice is an integral part of a fair and just society, and an effective, strong legal aid system is one of the pillars that supports Canada's justice system. As a shared responsibility between provincial, territorial and federal governments, ministers acknowledged the continued need for predictable, stable and lasting legal aid funding - including for immigration and refugee cases - and highlighted the need to continue their work together efficiently and collaboratively on this issue.

Hate crime, online harms and social cohesion

Protecting people - especially children - from online harm is a priority for all orders of government in Canada. Recognizing the impacts of online harms on society, ministers intend to continue collaborating to make the internet safer for all. In this regard, ministers received an update on Bill C-63, currently moving through the House of Commons, which would enact the Online Harms Act and amendments to the Criminal Code, Canadian Human Rights Act, as well as the Act respecting the mandatory reporting of Internet child pornography by persons who provide an Internet service.

Ministers shared examples of incidents from their respective jurisdictions, emphasizing the importance of further action to strengthen social cohesion, and to combat hate, violence, and misinformation. These actions will include exploring the possible creation of a pan-Canadian anti-hate action fund to advance community safety and public trust. They acknowledged the ongoing and emerging needs of victims and survivors and were mindful that these crimes have a particular impact on certain groups including, Jewish, Muslim and other religious minority communities; Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities; as well as 2SLGBTQI+ people in Canada.

Auto theft

Ministers were provided with an overview of the recent actions taken by federal, provincial, territorial governments and municipalities, in collaboration with, industry and law enforcement. These have contributed to an average decrease of 17% in auto thefts nationwide.

Ministers agreed that delivering a coordinated response to address auto theft remains an important priority and will continue to pursue their efforts with partners across Canada and internationally to combat this complex crime. Ministers continued their discussion regarding auto theft and their concerns with occurrences of violence in relation to these offences.

Community safety

Ministers discussed the community safety impacts of the illegal drug trade in Canada and enforcement efforts to stem the production and trafficking of harmful substances by organized crime groups.

Ministers exchanged views and concerns on matters related to firearms, including collaboration to combat gun violence, border security, illegal firearms, and the federal Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program. They were updated on the progress of the implementation of federal firearms legislation and shared the importance of ensuring there are no negative impacts on law abiding gun owners.

Future of policing

Ministers discussed the evolving criminal threat environment with new and enduring threats creating challenges to policing. Ministers shared views on the future of policing in Canada as it relates to contract policing, federal policing and Indigenous policing.

Ministers discussed key topics related to the renegotiation of the Police Service Agreements and the Government of Canada reiterated its commitment to honouring the existing agreements, which are in effect until 2032 and reiterated its commitment to the cost share for contract and Indigenous policing. Some ministers also shared concerns about current vacancy rates within the RCMP and the impact on community safety.

All partners agreed that increased collaboration to address threats such as cybercrime, foreign interference, financial crimes, and major cross-border crime, promote safety and security. In this regard, the federal minister committed to continue to work with partners on federal policing. Ministers discussed the importance of strengthening the federal policing mandate to better support municipal, provincial, Indigenous and contract policing.

Provincial and territorial ministers emphasized the importance of the passage of the essential services legislation and equitable funding for First Nations and Inuit policing.

C-70 implementation and authorities (foreign interference)

Ministers discussed the implementation of Bill C-70, the Countering Foreign Interference Act, includes amendments to four key pieces of legislation. These changes include increased protections from evolving threats posed by foreign interference, modernization of criminal law relating to foreign interference, and strengthening deterrence and defence against foreign states' activities.

Ministers also committed to enhancing information sharing to counter foreign interference and welcomed the new legislative authorities in the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act enabling the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to increase the level of information it can share with provinces and territories.

Justice system efficiencies

Filling judicial vacancies is key to improving the efficiency of Canada's justice system. Ministers unanimously agreed that the timely appointment of judges is a priority and that more work remains to fill vacancies. Ministers were updated that more than 780 federal judicial appointments have been made since November 2015. Ministers discussed ways to identify and support additional judicial resources. They also emphasized the importance of ensuring access to justice for families as family courts face a high volume of caseloads. Ministers also discussed the residency requirement for judges appointed to the Federal Court of Canada, Federal Court of Appeal and the Tax Court of Canada to ensure they are more representative of the entire country.

Other priority items

Ministers received an update on the federal government's development of Canada's Black Justice Strategy and the recent report by the external Steering Group, "A Roadmap for Transformative Change".

Ministers discussed the importance of ensuring that police have investigative tools necessary to expeditiously and effectively investigate crime, including online child sexual exploitation. Ministers agreed to increase collaboration in this respect.

British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan remain in a caretaker period and are not a party to this communiqué.

Quotes

"Collaboration with provinces, territories and Indigenous partners is crucial to build relationships to meet the needs of people across Canada. This year's meeting confirmed our shared goals of keeping people safe in their communities, including online, and ensuring our justice system is effective and accessible. I look forward to continuing this important work together with our partners."

Honourable Arif Virani
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

"The continued work between federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners is key to keeping communities safe. The discussions over the last few days have helped to strengthen our collaboration and to make progress on our shared public safety priorities, which include keeping all people in Canada- especially kids- safe online, protecting Canada from foreign threats, and ensuring a criminal justice system that is fair, efficient and effective."

Honourable Dominic LeBlanc
Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs

"It has been an honour and pleasure to host my federal, provincial and territorial colleagues in Yellowknife. This was a valuable opportunity to discuss justice and public safety priorities and challenges with ministers from across the country and with National Indigenous Organizations. I leave these meetings with a strengthened commitment to work together to ensure community safety and access to justice for all NWT residents."

R.J. Simpson
Premier and Minister of Justice of Northwest Territories

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For more information, media may contact:

Chantalle Aubertin
Deputy Director, Communications
Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General
613-992-6568
[email protected]

Gabriel Brunet
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc
Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
819-665-6527
[email protected]

Media Relations
Department of Justice Canada
613-957-4207
[email protected]

Media Relations
Public Safety Canada
613 991-0657
[email protected]

Ngan Trinh
Senior Communications Advisor
Department of Justice
Government of the Northwest Territories
867-767-9256, ext. 82083
[email protected]

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