How are we working together?
Implementation of the BC First Nations Justice Strategy (FNJS) continues through collaborative partnership between the Indigenous Justice Secretariat (IJS) and the BC First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC). This partnership is guided by the Joint Implementation Plan (JP), which establishes shared priorities and coordinated workstreams across the FNJS implementation areas.
BCFNJC and the Province work together through regular meetings, strategic planning processes and ongoing engagement with justice system partners to advance key initiatives, including Indigenous Justice Centres, diversion programming, Gladue services, policing oversight reform and the Indigenous Women’s Justice Plan.
The JP supports alignment between provincial government ministries and BCFNJC teams while allowing work to progress based on available capacity, funding and strategic direction provided by BCFNJC’s council. Through this collaborative governance structure, partners are able to identify emerging priorities, coordinate implementation activities and address challenges as they arise.
This approach continues to strengthen relationships between First Nations partners and the Province, while supporting long-term transformation of the justice system in alignment with the principles of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
BCFNJC engages with First Nations across British Columbia through the implementation of the FNJS. This includes communities participating in Indigenous Justice Centres, diversion initiatives, policing oversight work and justice reform engagement processes. BCFNJC held a regional forum in Prince George in March 2026 and are planning a fall 2026 forum. BCFNJC staff also liaise with communities who apply to the Community Based Justice Fund and the Women’s Team has worked with communities on implementation of the Indigenous Women’s Justice Plan.
Are there challenges?
Implementation of the FNJS continues to progress through collaboration between the Province and First Nations partners. As the scope of implementation expands, several challenges remain.
Capacity pressures continue to affect both provincial government and Indigenous partners as multiple justice reform initiatives move forward simultaneously. Growing demand for services such as Gladue products, Indigenous Justice Centre supports and diversion programming requires sustained staffing capacity and operational resources. Restrictive timelines for BCFNJC to thoughtfully engage on provincial government projects further strains capacity pressures.
Implementation timelines may also be affected by the need for coordination across multiple ministries and justice system partners. Advancing systemic reform requires alignment across organizations, which can extend timelines but is necessary to ensure meaningful consultation and effective implementation.
Components of the implementation of the FNJS are dependent on the engagement of external partners to advance. This networking takes additional capacity and time to develop in meaningful ways to progress the strategy.
Despite these challenges, governance structures established through the JP and Bi-Lateral Leadership Table continue to support coordination and shared accountability.
Highlights
Several implementation milestones were achieved during the reporting period.
Diversion initiatives continue to expand, including the establishment of the Indigenous Diversion Centre in Prince George, which has received over 80 referrals since beginning operations. Indigenous Justice Centres continue to provide integrated legal and wraparound services, with approximately 1,200 active legal matters open at any given time.
Gladue services remain an important component of the justice strategy. Between April 2025 and February 2026, 426 new requests were received and 374 Gladue reports and letters were completed. Courts and justice partners continue to recognize the quality and value of these services.
Progress has also been made in strengthening Indigenous-led oversight and accountability for policing. The Police Accountability Unit pilot is now fully staffed and supporting more than 75 active files; however, BCFNJC has yet to formally launch the pilot, with referrals largely coming from Indigenous Justice Centres.
Additional progress includes the release of the evaluation of the Indigenous Women’s Justice Plan implementation and ongoing development of technology infrastructure, including the Information Sharing Portal, which will improve data collection and reporting related to implementation of the FNJS.
Previous years’ progress
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.
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
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.