Grants and Contributions

The Recipient agrees to contribute to addressing the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system through activities such as Gladue aftercare, civil/family mediation, prevention, diversion and/or reintegration.

Provide financial assistance to an individual Canadian victim of a specified serious violent crime in a foreign jurisdiction for emergency situations of undue hardship where no other source of financial assistance is available (specified categories of crimes are homicide, sexual assault, aggravated assault or assault with serious personal violence, or threat of serious violence, including against a child) or to an individual support person to accompany, attend with or support a Canadian victimized in a foreign jurisdiction. A total of 39 individuals were approved to receive financial assistance in this regard.

Provide financial assistance to an individual victim or support person (as defined in the Corrections and Conditional Release Act and who are registered with Correctional Service Canada or the Parole Board of Canada), to attend Parole Board of Canada hearings in respect of the offender who harmed them.

The First Nations Victim Equity Services project will aim to enhance Indigenous-led, culturally safe and a survivor-centered environment for Indigenous victims of crime to receive the support needed while their rights are upheld within the Justice system. Individual stabilization plans will be developed. The project will provide front-line support, facilitation of referrals and mediation focusing on conflict resolution and fostering relationships between First Nations and Justice officials, collaboration with community based organizations, liaise with police partner for cases involving missing persons ensuring that families interests are heard and respected.

The project will conduct in-person training of Newfoundland and Labrador Crowns on the topic of hate crimes. The training will include recognizing and prosecuting hate crimes.

The Northwest Territories Family Information Liaison Unit (NT FILU) will gather and provide information and support to families of missing and murdered Indigenous people. The FILU will increase access to information through FILU Family Library, regional offices and travel and storefront location to serve the public in person. The FILU will work to increase awareness of services to families and will ensure interagency collaboration to support families who need to access other government services.

The Saskatchewan Family Information Liaison Unit (FILU) will continue to support families of MMIWG2S+ and to collaborate with Indigenous agencies who have a relationship with these families in order to facilitate partnerships and collaborative efforts on behalf of families of missing and murdered Indigenous people, including men and boys. The FILU will build stronger relationships with families and offer culturally grounded support. They will strive to enhance collaboration across agencies and increase community awareness about the FILU and its services.

Ionkwatahónhsate Victims Services aims to help victims cope with their experiences and navigate the criminal justice system through support and assistance. The project focuses on providing culturally appropriate services for Kahnawà:ke community members and raising awareness of victim rights.

A new Cultural Integration Specialist position will be created to engage with diverse communities, particularly those speaking non-official languages, to promote integration and improve access to justice for all. This will include researching the needs of newcomers, providing cultural sensitivity training for staff, and enhancing public awareness of court processes. The project will also leverage artificial intelligence technology to improve court efficiency by providing generated transcripts, automated data entry, and chat services to answer common legal questions in simple language.

The project will provide access to legal advice services for tenants, specifically immigrant tenants in the Outaouais region. In collaboration with key community service providers, legal clinics will be offered throughout the region. A network of practice will also be created across the 13 regions in Quebec served by a Centre de justice de proximité to enhance the capacity to support tenants with legal issues.