Support program for justice-related activities in Indigenous communities and urban settings

The Québec government awards funding to improve access to justice for Indigenous people in Québec. The financial assistance supports a wide range of initiatives and services connected with the justice system, including support for victims and offenders. In addition, the MJQ helps develop initiatives to help Indigenous communities participate in the resolution of social conflicts via justice structures in communities and urban settings.

The Program targets the creation of services for Indigenous people involved with the justice system as victims or offenders. More specifically, its objectives are to

• promote the development of dispute resolution mechanisms for Indigenous people at the community level;
• improve access to justice;
• ensure that Indigenous people have access to high-quality legal information about rights and obligations and the justice system in general;
• promote the creation of services for Indigenous crime victims and help them participate in the judicial process.

Eligible organizations

The Program targets

• Indigenous communities recognized by the National Assembly of Québec;
• northern villages;
• Indigenous organizations responsible for providing services to or coordinating services for recognized Indigenous communities;
• regional county municipalities and local municipalities; and
• non-profit organizations (NPOs) or equivalent organizations registered with the Québec enterprise registrar (Registraire des entreprises du Québec - REQ) that offer or plan to offer services to Indigenous clients.

Eligible activities

The Program provides financial support for

• the establishment of community justice services;
• courtworker and Gladue writer services;
• services to assist crime victims;
• the preparation and dissemination of legal information, including legal clinics;
• support for programs under court supervision; and
• the coordination of justice services.

Eligible activities must meet the Program objectives and be provided for Indigenous clients. An application for financial assistance may target one or more of the activities listed above.

To submit an application for financial assistance, an eligible organization must send a complete application file to the Ministère de la Justice at the address: daa@justice.gouv.qc.ca

The file must contain

• the application form for financial assistance (PDF 1.45 Mb). To fill out the form correctly, you must download the form to your computer and open it with Adobe Reader, available free of charge on the Adobe website .
  Do not complete your form in the web browser (example: Edge, Safari, Chrome, Firefox) as you may lose the information entered.
• a detailed description of the proposal;
• a detailed budget forecast, broken down by activity and budget category, showing the other sources of funding obtained or requested, if any, and  the expenditures to which each source of funding will be applied;
• a letter of support from a representative having authority or a resolution by a band council, northern village, Indigenous government or tribal council, for a project under its responsibility;*
• a letter of support from the management or a resolution of the NPO submitting the application;*
• letters of support from the main partners;
• the organization’s most recently adopted financial statements;
• the organization’s most recent annual report;
• for an NPO, proof of its legal status, along with its general by-laws and letters patent;
• a list of the applications for financial assistance submitted to other Québec or federal government departments or bodies in connection with the project or mission.

* These documents may be submitted up to thirty (30) days after the application is filed.

To help you complete your file, please see the full version of the Support program for justice-related activities in Indigenous communities and urban settings (PDF 543 Kb).

The maximum amount of financial assistance paid to an eligible organization may not exceed $85,000 per year, per eligible activity for each community or urban setting in which services are provided.

Financial assistance is awarded under the Program for a maximum period of three years, and may cover the years 2023-2024 to 2025-2026. It is paid subject to the availability of funds and the appropriation of credits by the National Assembly.