Evidence of meeting #4 for Justice and Human Rights in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was prosecutions.
A recording is available from Parliament.
November 29th, 2007 / 11:40 a.m.
Acting Director General, Department of Justice
They are primarily drug cases.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Mr. Piragoff, in terms of the requests from the provinces, can you tell us—I say this because I know they ask for substantially more than they ever get—what their requests were like in 2007-08 versus our contributions to them?
Acting Director General, Department of Justice
It's part of the work we're doing with the provinces and territories now. Again, I have to say how numbers collected in the provinces and territories differ. Sometimes a province will account for every telephone request. Some won't account for that telephone request--
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
I'm sorry, Ms. Merriam; let me stop you. This is what I'm asking. I'm assuming that as you go through your budgetary process each year, you get a specific request for the upcoming year from each province and territory. Am I incorrect in that assumption? That's the figure I'm looking for. What do they ask you for?
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Justice
It's not an annual request, because we try to negotiate a long-term agreement. We're trying to do that now with this one, with stable funding for five years.
I don't have the numbers handy for two years ago, for before the current budget was determined. Whatever they were, as far as the provinces are concerned, that's history. Since then, the government has introduced a number of pieces of new legislation, and the provinces are saying those will affect their costs, including their legal aid costs. Therefore they'd like to come back before five years, before the halfway mark, and work with us to show us what their new needs are. So we're working really on new costs, but I could try--
NDP
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Justice
Yes, it will be midway. Well, it will be before midway, actually, so that if we have to make any changes, the changes can take effect at the midway point.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Is there an automatic increase each year in the five-year contract?
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Justice
I think it's a fixed amount for five years.
NDP
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Justice
I don't know the reason why the Department of Finance allocated a fixed amount in the budget.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
In terms of the criteria, do they vary from province to province in terms of how much the province is expected to contribute as its share of legal aid costs? Is that taken into account at all?
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Justice
The formula, which I indicated earlier, does take into account what the previous contribution of the federal government was and what the contribution of the provincial government is. So you can have, for example, variations between some provinces. For example, in P.E.I., I think, the federal contribution is about 70%, and in Ontario the federal contribution is about 23%. So it does take into account a number of factors, including the situation, the crime rate, the rural population, the number of charges, and so on in that province.
NDP
Joe Comartin NDP Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
I know that Ontario certainly was one of the last ones in, but I think all the provinces have now reached agreement with the federal government about settlement services for immigrants and refugees. Are you aware of those agreements? And is there any component of those agreements that allows for additional funds, as part of the moneys being transferred to the provinces, to be specifically allocated to legal aid for immigration and refugee cases? You don't have to do the math; they'll do it automatically for you.
Acting Director General, Department of Justice
No. As part of the individual agreements with the provinces on immigration and refugee services, legal aid is not covered. Legal aid is covered in our agreement. It's $11.5 million per year shared among six provinces.
Conservative
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I appreciate your appearing before the committee today. It's been a great discussion so far on legal aid, but I would like to change the channel for a second, if you don't mind.
In my constituency, obviously, there are some issues involving youth crime, and I'd like to ask some questions along that line.
In the House of Commons right now, the government has tabled Bill C-25, which will amend the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Parts of the bill deal with deterrence and denunciation and some of the principles involved in sentencing. The bill strengthens provisions relating to pre-trial detention, as well. I'm just wondering if you can explain, for the benefit of this committee, what's been done in the department, as far as financing or budget allocations are concerned, to help prevent youth violent crime.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Justice
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I don't have any figures with me with respect to crime prevention, because we were requested to come to the committee today to talk about legal aid. There are a number of figures. I don't have them.
I know that the minister had them with him on Tuesday when he testified on supplementaries as to how much money is spent by the Department of Justice with respect to crime prevention--for guns and gangs, in particular.
I have a figure in the back of my mind, but I don't want to say it, because it could be wrong. So I don't want to mislead the committee by putting out a figure. But if Mr. Calkins would like, we could provide the exact figure for what the department provides in crime prevention. There's also crime prevention moneys provided by Public Safety Canada.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
If you could get that information for the committee and submit it in a follow-up, that would be fine. I would rather have accurate information than speculative information at this time. I certainly don't want to keep you guessing.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Justice
If you like, I have the information now. A colleague has given me the information I had with me on Tuesday when the minister testified.
The 2006 budget announced $20 million over two years--$10 million per year--to prevent youth crime. In order to deliver on this commitment, the National Crime Prevention Centre and the Department of Justice have been expanding their youth prevention and intervention efforts to focus specifically on youth involved with guns, gangs, and drugs. And $2.5 million will be earmarked annually for youth justice in the Department of Justice, while $7.5 million—that's an average—will be utilized by the National Crime Prevention Centre, which is operated by Public Safety Canada.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Wetaskiwin, AB
Just for clarification, there was $10 million in budget 2006, and there will be $10 million again in budget 2007. Is that right?
