Minister Wilson-Raybould to visit Australia to discuss reconciliation and justice
News Release
November 7, 2016 – Ottawa, ON – Department of Justice Canada
Today, the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, began a working visit to Australia that will include meetings with the Prime Minister of Australia, the Attorney General of Australia, other elected officials, Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders of Australia and their leadership, and legal scholars. These meetings will help build a strong understanding of legal and justice challenges facing both countries.
Notably, the Minister will deliver the 2016 Annual Reconciliation Lecture at the National Centre for Indigenous Studies at Australian National University in Canberra. In the lecture’s 13-year history, she is the first non-Australian to be invited to do so. The Honourable Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister of Australia, delivered the lecture in 2015.
In addition to her visit to Canberra, the Minister will be attending meetings in Sydney and Brisbane, where she will focus on justice-sector issues, including criminal justice system reform, with a particular emphasis on the over-representation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system as both accused and victims.
Quotes
“I am honoured by the Australian National University’s invitation to deliver the 2016 Reconciliation Lecture and look forward to speaking about Canada’s commitment to a renewed, nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous peoples. I also look forward to meeting with government and Indigenous leaders in Australia on a broad range of issues. As both countries work towards reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and towards improving our respective justice systems, this visit offers a tremendous opportunity to discuss common challenges and opportunities for positive and meaningful change.”
The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Quick Facts
- Canada and Australia share common values and legal traditions and the two countries also share many cultural and historic challenges, including the desire to use the legal system as a foundation to build a just society.
- The commonalities of the Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders of Australia and the Indigenous Peoples and First Nations of Canada extend beyond colonialism to present-day issues of education, economics, justice, and reconciliation.
- On the world stage, Canada and Australia have a close working relationship on justice matters and are both members of the Quintet of Attorneys General and Justice Ministers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
- Australian National University’s annual Reconciliation Lecture has taken place since 2004 and is a chance for the University to create meaningful relationships and sustainable opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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Contacts
Valérie Gervais
Office of the Minister of Justice
613-992-4621
Media Relations
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