Question Period Note: MCLELLAN REPORT

The McLellan’s report on the role of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.

• All Canadians should expect openness, transparency, and accountability from the institutions they rely on. This is how we build Canadians’ trust in their government.
• The report produced by the Honourable Anne McLellan looked at the dual role of Canada’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and made recommendations to improve openness and transparency in this unique position.
• In August 2019, the Prime Minister accepted the report and committed to carefully review Ms. McLellan’s recommendations to determine how best to implement them. My department is actively involved in this review.

The positions of Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada have been held by the same person since Confederation. The Honourable Anne McLellan was asked to assess this structure and make recommendations to improve prosecutorial independence, if necessary.

The Prime Minister made the report public on August 14, 2019.

The government has committed to implementing her recommendations.

Ms. McLellan concluded that no structural changes are required to protect prosecutorial independence and to promote public confidence in the criminal justice system.

She concluded that the current system creates synergies by allowing one person to gain a perspective over the entire justice system, facilitates better informed legal advice and ensures that the Attorney General of Canada understands the context in which ministers operate.

However, Ms. McLellan made eight recommendations to address any remaining public concern about having the same person occupy both roles.

The Department of Justice is reviewing the recommendations.

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