March 5, 2015 – Saskatoon, SK – Department of Justice.
Today, Brad Trost, Member of Parliament for Saskatoon-Humboldt, on behalf of the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, announced $537,990 in funding over two years for three Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) justice-related programs.
Through its urban programs, the STC receives referrals for extrajudicial measures and sanctions for youth, assists victims of crime, and helps at risk youth, their families, and the community to understand their rights, the justice system and family rebuilding processes.
The funding announced today will also aid youth in understanding and maintaining conditions imposed on them while in supervised mediation agreements. The rural programs include extra-judicial sanctions and alternative measures programming for youth and adults in six rural First Nation communities in the Saskatoon region. The measures include various culturally appropriate circles, victim/offender mediation, and diversion programs. The programs also deliver crime prevention and public education activities.
The funding is provided as part of the Aboriginal Justice Strategy, through which the 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. These programs also enable Aboriginal people to assume greater responsibility for the administration of justice in their communities and strengthen the voice of victims.
As part of Economic Action Plan 2014, the Government had already made a commitment to invest in the Aboriginal Justice Strategy by providing $22.2 million over two years. 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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