2023-24 Reporting on the Calls for Justice: 10.1: Attorneys and Law Societies

In 2022-23, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada developed and launched a new training curriculum for its prosecution teams that focuses on Crown-Indigenous relations, anti-racism, bias, trauma and Gladue reports. The course entitled "Historical and Present Indigenous Realities, Trauma and Gladue Reports" course was developed through a collaboration between Public Prosecution Service of Canada's Advancement Centre for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility, the Indigenous Justice and Reconciliation Committee, the National Indigenous Council for Employees and the NVision Insight Group Inc.. This course is mandatory for all non-Indigenous employees of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.

This curriculum is divided into four modules.

• Module 1 focuses on the historical relationship between the Crown and Indigenous peoples;
• Module 2 focuses on cultural competency and current realities and aims to challenge stereotypes associated with Indigenous, First Nations, Inuit and Métis people;
• Module 3 focuses on intergenerational trauma and trauma-informed practices; and
• Module 4 provides hands-on training on Gladue principles and the role of the Crown.

The first three modules of the course are mandatory for all employees, while the fourth module is mandatory for prosecutors and paralegals, and remains open to all other employee groups. Since the launch of the training in 2023, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada has delivered nine (9) training sessions in the following regional offices: Ontario, Yukon, Nunavut, Manitoba, Quebec, Atlantic, National Capital, Headquarters and Internal Services. Each training session is adapted to integrate the Indigenous specific realities of the region. Delivery of the training will continue throughout the 2024-25 fiscal year.

The development of the "Historical and Present Indigenous Realities, Trauma and Gladue Reports" training curriculum was informed by the founding principles of Distinctions-based Culturally Relevant Gender-based Analysis. Each training session is specifically adapted for every regional office to acknowledge and integrate the unique historical and present realities of the First Nations, Inuit, Métis and Indigenous communities living that particular geographical region and serviced by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.

Through this training, Public Prosecution Service of Canada employees learn about the various factors that may be contributing to the systemic discrimination faced by Indigenous People. Prosecutors also learn about consideration that is relevant at various stages of the prosecutorial process that will help ensure the equity of outcomes and contribute to curbing overrepresentation of Indigenous persons in the criminal justice system.

Each new employee in the Yukon Regional Office completes the Yukon University course called ‘Yukon First Nations 101' which is a multi-day curriculum established in the Territory. This covers the history of Yukon First Nations as well as the establishments of self-governments.

Prosecutors and Crown Witness Coordinators are attending education and training events established by the Council of Yukon First Nations (Gladue Workshop and Our Justice Our Way) as well as Sexualized Assault Response Team supported training on Trauma Informed Engagement.

Lead Department: Public Prosecution Service of Canada
Funding Amount: $23.5 million/3 years (shared by all four PPSC initiatives)
Funding Source: Budget 2021
Partners: Internal Indigenous committees; NVision Insight Group Inc.
Related Calls for Miskotahâ: N/A
Related Calls for Justice: 10.1, 16.27, 17.8, 17.29