Ministry Overview

The Ministry of Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Treaty Negotiations has overall responsibility for the administration of justice in British Columbia, as well as for the negotiation and implementation of treaties and other agreements with First Nations. The Attorney General has a constitutional and statutory role as the government's lawyer, providing legal advice, representing the government in litigation and drafting legislation.

In fulfilling the justice mandate, five main core business areas of the ministry work together and with other justice partners, such as the police, the judiciary, defence counsel and other ministries. Collaboration among all key partners is vital to the effective and efficient delivery of services to the public. The ministry strives to enhance public confidence in the integrity and effectiveness of the justice system by fostering cooperation and shared initiatives among its partners.

The following core business areas contribute unique sets of programs and services that integrate with services from other justice partners and constitute the justice process.

Court Services offers administrative, security and enforcement services to support the independent judiciary and the operation of three separate levels of courts over which the judiciary presides — the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and the Provincial Court.

Legal Services provides advice to ministries and Cabinet, drafts legislation and represents the government in court and before administrative tribunals.

Prosecution Services prosecutes offences under the Criminal Code of Canada, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and offences arising from violations of provincial statutes.

Justice Services manages provincial funding of legal aid and is responsible for a range of civil and family law programs and services including dispute resolution and enforcement of registered maintenance orders and agreements.

Executive and Support Services provides administrative and other corporate-level services to the Ministry of Attorney General, the Treaty Negotiations Office and the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

The Ministry of Attorney General Service Plan presents a high-level description of these core business areas and explains the key goals, objectives, and activities or services associated with each business area. It provides resources and performance measures with planned targets for the next three years.

The ministry is also responsible for a sixth core business area, the Treaty Negotiations Office. This office negotiates agreements with First Nations in an effort to achieve legal certainty and thereby strengthen the province's economy. The Treaty Negotiations Office has published a separate service plan for 2004/05 – 2006/07. The plan as well as other information on treaty negotiations is available at http://www.prov.gov.bc.ca/tno/