How to fix Canada’s justice system and protect Canadians from crime

Dear minister,Congratulations on your appointment as the minister of justice and attorney general. Your department has a lot of work ahead of it, both to support an aggressive and important legislative and regulatory agenda and to use the tools at your disposal—primarily the Criminal Code—to make Canadians safer.While the priority of “protecting Canadian sovereignty and safety” outlined in the prime minister’s mandate letter to ministers is the most directly aligned with your department’s mandate, in reality, as the Government of Canada’s in-house law firm, you will have an important role to play in supporting virtually all his listed priorities.In this letter, I offer some concrete advice on how to advance meaningful change early in your mandate to allow you to fulfill this role, and policy proposals that will help ensure that Canada’s justice system is a source of national confidence and international respect...