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2005/06 – 2007/08 SERVICE PLAN
Ministry of Attorney General
Ministry Overview and Core Business Areas
The Attorney General is the Law Officer of the Crown and has a unique role in government as the person who must see that the administration of public affairs is in accordance with the law. The Ministry of Attorney General fulfills that role under the Attorney's direction and is responsible in government for law reform, the administration of justice and for providing legal services that ensure lawful public administration. For financial and administrative purposes, the ministry's responsibilities are organized into five core business areas.
- Court Services delivers all administration services, including security and order enforcement, to support courts presided over by the independent judiciary at three separate levels — the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and the Provincial Court. By doing so, it contributes to effective civil and criminal justice systems.
- Prosecution Services assesses and conducts all prosecutions and appeals of offences under the Criminal Code of Canada, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and a number of provincial statutes. This role is central to the goal of an effective criminal justice system.
- Justice Services is responsible for civil and family law reform, administrative justice reform and justice services. These services include developing and implementing alternative dispute resolution processes, enforcing registered maintenance orders and agreements, and managing the provincial funding of legal aid. This business area contributes to law reform and to the effective functioning of the civil and criminal justice systems.
- Legal Services provides legal services to government, including advice to ministries and Cabinet, drafts of legislation and representation of the government in court and before administrative tribunals. This business area is central to the ministry's role of seeing that public affairs are administered according to the law.
- Executive and Support Services includes the Criminal Justice Reform Office and the Strategic Planning and Legislation Office. These groups assist the entire ministry and support law reform and innovative justice processes. Executive and Support Services also include the Deputy Attorney General's Office and the Management Services Branch, which provide coordination as well as corporate financial and administrative services for the entire ministry.
The Resource Summary on the following page is organized on the basis of these core business areas. For consistency with the Estimates, the Summary also includes the following five additional areas, which are funded through separate appropriations.
- The Treaty Negotiations Office negotiates agreements with First Nations. The Office publishes a separate Service Plan.1
- The independent judiciary functions at arm's length from government.
- The Crown Proceeding Act provides for payments to be made pursuant to the Act, as a result of judgments against the government or of settlements reached in litigation.
- The B.C. Utilities Commission operates independently and produces a separate service plan.2
- The Public Guardian and Trustee of British Columbia is partially funded by a special account and prepares a separate service plan.3
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