March 4, 2015 – Stand Off, AB – Department of Justice.
Today, John Barlow, Member of Parliament for MacLeod, on behalf of the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minster of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, announced $641,860 in funding for the Kainai Peacemaking Program. This community-based program works to restore personal, family and community relationships by using traditional Kainai peacemaking practices such as mediation and conflict resolution.
The funding is being provided as part of the Aboriginal Justice Strategy, through which the federal government works with provinces, territories and Aboriginal communities to support community-based justice programs. These programs provide an alternative to the mainstream justice system for less serious offences in appropriate circumstances. They also enable Aboriginal people to assume greater responsibility for the administration of justice in their communities and strengthen the voice of victims.
Economic Action Plan 2014 had already committed the Government to invest $22.2 million over two years in the Aboriginal Justice Strategy. The Government recently announced that it will extend its support of this important work to include an additional $11.1 million for fiscal year 2016-17.
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