$2M earmarked for programs meant to reduce overrepresentation of Indigenous people in Canada's justice system

The federal government has earmarked just over $2 million in funding for alternative programming meant to reduce the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the justice system.

Minister of Justice and Attorney General Arif Virani made the announcement in Toronto on Tuesday alongside Julie Dabrusin, MP for Toronto - Danforth, and Chantell Barker, executive director of Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS).

The investment is part of a larger $49.3 million allocation first announced in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement as part of an initiative meant to improve access to justice for Indigenous populations. According to the most recent Statistics Canada data, Indigenous people are incarcerated at a rate nearly nine times higher than non-Indigenous people.

“Investing in Indigenous-led projects that address the systemic barriers that First Nations, Inuit and Métis face in the justice system is key to achieving lasting change," Virani told reporters Monday. "Collaborative approaches such as these projects and working together to advance reconciliation are how we will create a better future.”

According to the most recent Statistics Canada data, Indigenous people are incarcerated at a rate nearly nine times higher than non-Indigenous people.

“For reconciliation to occur, we must work together to address the over-incarceration of Indigenous people in the justice system by recognizing the importance of culturally-responsive alternatives and solutions,” Chantell Barker, executive director at ALS, said at the announcement.

Of the $2.1 million investment, just over half is being put toward ALS' Giiwedin Anang Council initiative, an Indigenous Family Dispute Resolution program that supports civil family mediation, and the Gladue Aftercare program, a community-based program meant to provide the accused with services to support healing.

The second project, which will receive nearly $600,000 of the newly announced funding, will assist Aboriginal Legal Services and the Gladue Program in the efficient creation of pre-sentencing reports.

The third project will receive the remaining $249,120 in funding, put towards a needs assessment for the Toronto Ontario Court of Justice (OCJ) and the Bail Centre Project. The assessment, already underway, is meant to address the challenges and opportunities presented by the centralization of six Toronto OCJ courthouses into the new facility at 10 Armory St.

“In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, today’s announcement is very exciting for Aboriginal Legal Services and the people we serve.”

The funding is set to be dispersed by the Indigenous Justice Program (IJP). Known as the 'Aboriginal Justice Strategy' untuil 2021, the program was created as a means to reduce the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the system.