Minister Greenan recently returned from the annual meeting of Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Justice, which was held in Winnipeg, November 14 - 16. “Operation of the justice system is a shared responsibility,” he said. “I believe this point was expressed very well by provincial and territorial Ministers at our meeting.”

As an example, Minister Greenan noted that family legal aid is an important service for those who need legal assistance for child support or other family law matters and cannot afford a lawyer. “Justice Canada must reverse its current position and recognize its responsibility to assist with providing family legal aid,” he said.

The federal 2500 police officers initiative was also discussed at the Ministers’ meeting. Considerable interest has been expressed by senior provincial and municipal police in securing PEI’s share of the 2500 proposed new officers. “I am hopeful we will be able to work out an agreement with Public Safety Canada once Minister Stockwell Day has secured funding for this initiative,” said Prince Edward Island’s Attorney General.

Other items of particular interest to PEI which were discussed at the Ministers’ meeting included proposed amendments to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, proposals to combat organized crime, correctional services issues, Aboriginal justice, and securities fraud enforcement.