How are we working together?
In developing the First Nations Justice Strategy (the Strategy), the BC First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC) consulted with First Nations leadership, community members and service providers over numerous meetings and summits. Consultation with communities continues when needed to execute strategies that operate at the community level.
Engagement with provincial partners on Appendix A: Proposed Collaborative Action Plan of the Indigenous Women’s Justice Plan began in June 2024 and continued through September 2024, with some additional targeted engagement from December 2024 to February 2025.
Engagement on the Indigenous Women’s Justice Plan with Indigenous and grassroots organizations has been ongoing through winter 2024/25. The Indigenous Justice Secretariat participated in the Justice Council’s Legal Aid Transition Workshop in July 2024. With support from the Ministry of Children and Family Development, BCFNJC undertook engagement with Indigenous youth, which culminated in a what we heard report. This report will be used to inform further development of the Strategy 10 Youth Prevention Plan.
The Province of B.C., the BCFNJC and the federal government hosted a Tripartite Leadership Circle, and an Annual Tripartite Ministers’ Meeting. BCFNJC’s Tracking Justice tool and its accompanying website were developed for BCFNJC to help satisfy Strategy 16 in terms of reporting out to First Nations and other justice partners on Strategy implementation.
The BCFNJC and the Indigenous Justice Secretariat meet monthly with external partners in the following six areas: Indigenous Justice Centres and Legal aid; Gladue; courts and the Declaration Act; women, youth and child welfare; policing and oversight; and diversion, community-based justice programs and corrections.
Are there challenges?
Cabinet has endorsed the First Nations Justice Strategy, and the Province has invested in Indigenous Justice Centres and Gladue services. Additional funding is necessary for fulsome implementation of the full Strategy.
Highlights
As part of the Safer Communities Action Plan, and as called for in Strategy 4 of the First Nations Justice Strategy, six Indigenous Justice Centres opened by March 2025. Working together through the Steering Committee for Indigenous Justice Centres and Legal Aid, these six new Indigenous Justice Centres join the already operating nine physical Indigenous Justice Centres and one virtual Indigenous Justice Centre. This fulfills the vision of Strategy 4 – with the full network of 15 being established in the fiscal year of 2024/2025.
Indigenous Justice Centres provide culturally appropriate information, advice, support, and representation on criminal and child welfare matters directly to Indigenous Peoples at the community level. The centres work closely with the communities on which they are located to ensure services provided are tailored to the communities’ needs.
On April 8, 2024, the BC First Nations Justice Council released the Indigenous Women’s Justice Plan: Final Draft at the third annual BC First Nations Justice Forum. The Indigenous Women’s Justice Plan lifts up the recommendations and calls for justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls for Justice, the Red Women Rising Report, the Highway of Tears Symposium Report, and many other reports and recommendations.
A guiding draft was brought into community through 17 in-person engagements and three virtual engagements to receive feedback and comments ahead of developing the Final Draft. With support from the Indigenous Justice Secretariat, the Justice Council engaged with the Province during the summer and fall of 2024 to raise awareness of the Indigenous Women’s Justice Plan and its Appendix A: Proposed Collaborative Action Plan.
Previous years’ progress
Highlights
In June 2023, a new Indigenous Justice Centre (IJC) opened in Chilliwack. IJCs provide culturally appropriate information, advice, supports and representation for all Indigenous Peoples involved in the justice system for both criminal and child-protection matters. IJCs aim to address the circumstances that may have led to the offences in the first place and ensure that needs, such as housing, mental health and addictions treatment and employment services are addressed. There are already IJCs operating in Prince George, Prince Rupert, Merritt and a virtual IJC. As part of the Safer Communities Action Plan, a further five IJCs opened in Victoria, Vancouver, Surrey, Kelowna and Nanaimo in late 2023 and early 2024. Six more IJCs plan to be opened by the end of fiscal year 2024/2025.
On April 1, 2021, the BC First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC) took on delivery of Gladue Services from Legal Aid BC for all Indigenous Peoples in B.C. Since that time, the volume of Gladue report requests has increased to over 500 in 2023/24. A Gladue report is a report prepared for sentencing, bail, appeals, long term offenders hearings, dangerous offenders hearings or parole hearings that provide the court with comprehensive information on the offender, their community, and their family as well as a healing and restorative justice plan as an alternative to prison time. Under BCFNJC’s leadership, the program transitioned to a staff writer model from what was previously a contracted writer model.
How are we working together?
In developing the strategy, BCFNJC consulted with First Nations leadership over numerous meetings and summits. Consultation with First Nations communities continues when needed to execute strategies that operate at the community level. Consultation with communities occurred over the fall of 2023 regarding the Indigenous Women’s Justice Plan, the Indigenous Youth Justice Plan, transition of legal aid services for Indigenous Peoples, and identification of future Indigenous Justice Centre locations. B.C., BCFNJC and the federal government host a tripartite leadership circle, and an annual tripartite ministers’ meeting.
Are there challenges?
The implementation workplan was endorsed in 2021, and both BCFNJC and the Province are advancing work on individual strategies while awaiting funding for full implementation.
Highlights
The BC First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC) hosted its annual First Nations Justice Forum in Vancouver from March 6-8, 2023. The forum served as an opportunity to bring together First Nations leaders, Rights holders, Knowledge Keepers, and subject matter experts in British Columbia with an in-depth understanding of Indigenous justice to set priorities for the road ahead in advancing implementation of the BC First Nations Justice Strategy.This was the first annual forum since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the first since the provincial endorsement of the First Nations Justice Strategy in February 2020.
Budget 2023/24 included the announcement of funding over the next two years to open an additional 10 Indigenous Justice Centres (IJCs) in the province. Operated by the BCFNJC, IJCs provide culturally appropriate information, advice, support and legal representation on criminal and child protection matters directly to Indigenous people at the community level. They take a holistic approach to client and community wellness by facilitating client connections to supports such as housing, mental health and addictions treatment and employment services. IJCs currently operate in-person in Merritt, Prince George and Prince Rupert, as well as a virtual IJC that clients across the province can access regardless of location. Collectively, the IJCs have helped more than 400 individuals since 2020. The locations for the next five IJCs scheduled to open have been identified as Kelowna, Nanaimo, Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria.
Indicators
- Number of implementation projects underway: Initiated work on 11 of 25 strategies within the BC First Nations Justice Strategy.
How are we working together?
In developing the strategy, BCFNJC consulted with First Nations leadership over numerous meetings and summits. Consultation with First Nations communities continues when needed to implement strategies that operate at the community level. The Province of B.C., BCFNJC and the Government of Canada host a tripartite leadership circle and an annual tripartite ministers meeting.
Are there challenges?
The implementation workplan was endorsed in 2021 and is at risk of not proceeding as planned as both BCFNJC and the Province are advancing work in an ad hoc manner without dedicated provincial funding for implementation.