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The Department also establishes corporate priorities and plans to improve the management of the Department and facilitate the successful delivery of the outcomes we want to achieve for Canadians. Our activities in this vein must take into account the priorities of the federal government, the Minister, our clients and our Department.
Recent changes to our governance structure ensures appropriate stewardship
of departmental human, financial and administrative resources. We developed
and implemented tools and processes for integrating Human Resources, financial
and IMIT planning with the Departmental business planning cycle. The departmental
Business Planning process provided an opportunity for Finance, Human Resources
Professional Development Directorate and Information Management Branch
to engage in valuable dialogue with clients regarding future requirements
for the delivery of corporate objectives. A financial management framework
has been implemented integrating a more rigorous approach to allocating,
monitoring and assessing the Department's financial resources, including
our capacity to reallocate internally to meet key priorities. Key elements
of this overall framework include:
During 2004-2005, we established four corporate priorities to improve the management of the Department and facilitate the successful delivery of the outcomes we want to achieve for Canadians. The importance of these activities and the ongoing progress made on them encouraged the Governing Council to continue to support efforts in these areas. They are as follows:
We have many ongoing initiatives supporting the Our People corporate priority. One highlight is the release of the results of the Workplace Health Needs and Risks Survey which discusses the many programs and resources available for employees and managers to improve their workplace well-being. We will also release the Employment Equity Plan 2006-2009 that will guide our efforts over the next few years. We are proud that the Department is considered a model for public service employment equity policies and practices and with the release of the Public Service Employee Survey 2005 results due in June of 2006, we will continue to work to improve. In this vein, the Department is developing a new pilot program which will help to identify and prepare those who have the desire and potential to become future leaders in the Department of Justice.
As well, a Departmental Human Resources Environmental Scan identified a number of key human resources management challenges/priorities for the Department. Over the reporting period, the Department will focus its attention on the issues listed below:
The unionization of lawyers and the introduction of collective bargaining will bring about unprecedented cultural change for the Department over the next year. In addition, the unionization of lawyers provides an opportunity to review and strengthen the current management structure in the Department. DOJ will work together with the Treasury Board Secretariat over the next year to develop a proposal and implementation plan that will support the creation of a strong management cadre and will improve the management of Justice's business and the attainment of its business objectives.
A number of improvements have been made over the past year to our management capacity and practices on several fronts, including the completion of our first round of business plans. The feedback from Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) on our 2004-05 Departmental Performance Report (DPR), submitted in October 2005, was quite positive, as was its assessment through the Management Accountability Framework (MAF), of the department's performance management capacity. Our MAF assessment moved from the fourth quartile in 2004-2005 to the second quartile in 2005-2006; representing significant year-over-year improvement.
Our goal is to further streamline and fine-tune our activities on performing and reporting to make these practices second nature.
This year's focus of the Advisory Committee on Managing Litigation's work will be on sustaining initiatives to improve the quality of information needed to manage litigation workload and resources more effectively. To that end, litigation performance indicators and litigation management core data are being developed in conjunction with the Review of Legal Services team, Strategic Planning and Performance Management SPPM, and IM/IT.
The Review of Legal Services team is pursuing its work to: identify improvements
to the delivery of legal services; recommend a sustainable funding regime;
and, propose concrete approaches to improve the management of litigation
in government. The team is working closely with Treasury Board Secretariat
and Justice stakeholders, such as Finance, IM/IT, SPPM, and Dispute Resolution
Services.
The Department of Justice exists by virtue of the Department of Justice
Act, first passed in 1868. The Act establishes the Department's
role and sets out the powers, duties and functions of the Minister of
Justice and the Attorney General of Canada.
In addition to this general enabling statute, the Minister and the Department
have responsibilities under a number of other laws. These range from fairly
routine matters, such as tabling the annual report of an agency in Parliament,
to broader responsibilities, such as the obligation to review all government
bills and regulations for compliance with the Canadian Charter of Rights
and Freedoms, the Canadian Bill of Rights and the Statutory
Instruments Act. The laws for which the Minister has sole or shared
responsibility to Parliament are listed below.1
Access to Information Act, R.S. 1985, c. A-1
(responsibility shared with the President of the Treasury Board).2
Annulment of Marriages Act (Ontario), R.S.C. 1970, c. A-14.
Anti-Terrorism Act, S.C. 2001, c. 41
.
Bills of Lading Act, R.S. 1985, c. B-5 (responsibility shared with
the Minister of Transport).
Canada Evidence Act, R.S. 1985, c. C-5.
Canada-United Kingdom Civil and Commercial Judgments Convention Act,
R.S. 1985, c. C-30.
Canada Prize Act, R.S.C. 1970, c. P-24.
Canadian Bill of Rights, S.C. 1960, c. 44; reprinted in R.S.C.
1985, Appendix III.
Canadian Human Rights Act, R.S. 1985, c. H-6.
Commercial Arbitration Act, R.S. 1985, c. 17 (2nd Supp.).
Courts Administration Service Act, S.C. 2002, c. 8.
Contraventions Act, S.C. 1992, c. 47.
Criminal Code, R.S. 1985, c. C-46 (responsibility shared with the
Solicitor General of Canada,3
and the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (s. 204)).
Crown Liability and Proceedings Act, R.S. 1985, c. C-50.
Department of Justice Act, R.S. 1985, c. J-2.
Divorce Act, R.S. 1985, c. 3 (2nd Supp.).
Escheats Act, R.S. 1985, c. E-13.
Extradition Act, S.C. 1999, c. 18.4
Family Orders and Agreements Enforcement Assistance Act, R.S. 1985,
c. 4 (2nd Supp.).
Federal Courts Act, R.S. 1985, c. F-7.5
Federal Law-Civil Harmonization Act, No.1, S.C. 2001, c. 4.
Firearms Act, S.C. 1995, c. 39.6
Foreign Enlistment Act, R.S. 1985, c. F-28.
Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act, R.S. 1985, c. F-29.
Garnishment, Attachment and Pension Diversion Act, R.S. 1985, c.
G-2 (responsibility shared with the Minister of National Defence, Minister
of Public Works and Government Services, and Minister of Finance7).
Identification of Criminals Act, R.S. 1985, c. I-1.
International Sale of Goods Contracts Convention Act, S.C. 1991,
c. 13.
Interpretation Act, R.S. 1985, c. I-21.
Judges Act, R.S. 1985, c. J-1.
Law Commission of Canada Act, S.C. 1996, c. 9.
Legislative Instruments Re-enactment Act, S.C. 2002, c. 20.
Marriage (Prohibited Degrees) Act, S.C. 1990, c. 46.
Modernization of Benefits and Obligations Act, S.C. 2000, c. 12.
Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, R.S. 1985, c. 30 (4th
Supp.).
Official Languages Act, R.S. 1985, c. 31 (4th Supp.).
Postal Services Interruption Relief Act, R.S. 1985, c. P-16.
Privacy Act, R.S. 1985, c. P-21
(responsibility shared with the President of the Treasury Board8).
Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985 Act, R.S. 1985, c. 40 (3rd Supp.).
Security Offences Act, R.S. 1985, c. S-7.
Security of Information Act, R.S. 1985, c. O-5.
State Immunity Act, R.S. 1985, c. S-18.
Statute Revision Act, R.S. 1985, c. S-20.
Statutory Instruments Act, R.S. 1985, c. S-22.
Supreme Court Act, R.S. 1985, c. S-26.
Tax Court of Canada Act, R.S. 1985, c. T-2.
United Nations Foreign Arbitral Awards Convention Act, R.S. 1985,
c. 16 (2nd Supp.).
Youth Criminal Justice Act, S.C. 2002, c. 1
(replaces Young Offenders Act, R.S. 1985, c. Y-1).
1. This list, prepared in February 2004, is an unofficial version for information only.
2. Rsponsibility shared with
the President of the Treasury Board in the following manner: Minister
of Justice (for purposes of paragraph (b) of the definition of "head"
in section 3, subsection 4(2), paragraphs 77(1) (f) and (g) and subsection
77(2)); and the President of the Treasury Board (for all other purposes
of the Act) (SI/83-108).
3. The portfolio of the Solicitor
General of Canada was replaced by the portfolio of Public Safety and Emergency
Preparedness on December 12, 2003. The legislation has not yet been amended
to reflect this.
4. Section 84 of the new Extradition
Act, 1999, c. 18, provides that the repealed Act (R.S. 1985, c.
E-23) applies to a matter respecting the extradition of a person as though
it had not been repealed, if the hearing in respect of the extradition
had already begun on June 17, 1999.
5. Formerly the Federal Court
Act. The title was amended to the Federal Courts Act in the
Courts Administration Service Act, S.C. 2002, c. 8, s. 14.
6. The Firearms Program was
transferred to the Solicitor General (Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
as of December 12, 2003, although the legislation has not yet been amended
to reflect this change) as of April 14, 2003. See SOR/2003-145.
7. Responsibility shared in
the following manner: (a) Minister of Justice and Attorney General of
Canada, General (Part I) (SI/84-5), and for the purposes of sections 46
and 47 of the Act, items 12 and 16 of the schedule to the Act
and the other provisions of Part II of the Act as those provisions relate
to the Judges Act (SI/84-6); (b) the Minister of National Defence,
for the purposes of the provisions, except sections 46 and 47, of Part
II of the Act as those provisions relate to the Canadian Forces
Superannuation Act and the Defence Services Pension Continuation
Act (SI/84-6); (c) the Minister of Finance, for the purposes of the
provisions, except sections 46 and 47, of Part II of the Act as those
provisions relate to the Members of Parliament Retiring Allowances
Act (SI/84-6); and (d) the Minister of Public Works and Government
Services, for the purposes of the provisions, except sections 46 and 47,
of Part II of the Act as those provisions relate to
(i) the Governor General's Act,
(ii) the Lieutenant Governor's Superannuation Act,
(iii) the Diplomatic Service (Special) Superannuation Act,
(iv) the Public Service Superannuation Act,
(v) the Civil Service Superannuation Act,
(vi) the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act, Part
I,
(vii) the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Pension Continuation Act,
Parts II and III,
(viii) the Currency, Mint and Exchange Fund Act, subsection 15(2)
(R.S. 1952, c. 315)
(ix) the War Veterans Allowance Act, subsection 28(10),
(x) regulations made under Vote 181 of Appropriation Act No. 5, 1961,
and
(xi) the Tax Court of Canada Act (SI/84-6).
8. Responsibility is shared in the following manner: Minister of Justice, for purposes of paragraph (b) of the definition of "head" in section 3, subsection 12(3), paragraphs 77(1) (a), (d), (g) and (l) and subsection 77(2); President of the Treasury Board, for all other purposes of the Act (SI/83109).
Contact Information:
Media Inquiries:
Communications Branch
Telephone: (613) 957-4207
Fax: (613) 954-0811
Public Inquiries:
Communications Branch
Telephone: (613) 957-4222
TDD/TTY: (613) 992-4556
Fax: (613) 954-0811
For more information about the management terms used in this document,
please consult the Treasury Board Secretariat's Lexicon for RPP:
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/est-pre/20052006/lex-eng.asp
For more information about the Department of Justice, please consult the
following electronic publications:
Aboriginal Justice Strategy
http://canada.justice.gc.ca/en/ps/ajl/strategy.html
About the Department of Justice
http://www.justice.gc.ca/en/dept/pub/about/index.html
Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Support Fund
http://www.justice.gc.ca/en/ps/pb/prog/official_languages.html
Department of Justice Evaluation Reports
http://www.justice.gc.ca/en/ps/eval/index.html
Department of Justice Internal Audit Reports
http://www.justice.gc.ca/en/dept/pub/audit_reports/index.html
Departmental Performance Report, 2004-2005
http://www.justice.gc.ca/en/dept/pub/dpr/
The International Cooperation Group
http://canada.justice.gc.ca/en/ps/inter/index.html
Public Legal Education and Information
http://www.justice.gc.ca/en/ps/pb/prog/legal_ed.html
Report on Plans and Priorities, 2005-2006
http://www.justice.gc.ca/en/dept/pub/rpp
Research and Statistics
http://www.justice.gc.ca/en/ps/rs/index.html
Sustainable Development Strategy, 2004-2006
http://www.justice.gc.ca/en/dept/pub/sds/04_06/index.html
Youth Justice Renewal
http://canada.justice.gc.ca/en/ps/yj/
The Department of Justice produces many publications and reports on
a variety of subjects. For a complete listing, please visit the Publications
page on our Internet site:
http://www.justice.gc.ca/en/dept/pub/subject_index.html