Dave Hancock, Minister of
Justice and Attorney General

I am pleased that Alberta Justice and Alberta Solicitor General publish Just-in as a way to highlight our many achievements for our staff and our stakeholders across the province. It is also an important way for our ministries to help people working in the justice system keep up-to-date on new developments and initiatives that could affect the work that they do.

In September, the Solicitor General and I traveled to La Malbaie, Quebec to meet with our counterparts from across the country to discuss key justice issues at the annual Federal/Territorial/Provincial ministers’ meeting (see page 4 for more).

At the meeting, I brought forward an Alberta proposal that would see those accused of murdering a child automatically face first-degree murder charges. The concept is actually quite simple—because children are a vulnerable group within society, we want to provide the strongest protection for them.

Further, as a heinous crime, those convicted of intentionally killing a child under 14 should automatically face the maximum penalties available under Canadian law—the automatic life sentence with parole ineligibility for 25 years which comes with a first-degree murder conviction.

This was a new issue on the table for the federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for justice, but it took an important first step. Our proposal has been forwarded to a subcommittee of the national roundtable of provincial justice ministers for further consideration.

At the meeting, we also made good progress on a number of other important issues including raising the age of sexual consent and stricter provisions for conditional sentences.

It would be impossible to move these issues forward at a national level without the hard work of department staff and our many partners that provide us with valuable input as we work to formulate policy. My thanks for your continued efforts towards safer communities for all Albertans.

Heather Forsyth,
Solicitor General

The past several months have been very busy for my staff and myself traveling to Australia and the United States to research new ideas for addressing justice issues in Alberta.

In October, I was invited to the Crimestoppers International Training Conference in Australia to share some innovative Alberta programs with international delegates. During the conference I was also privileged to support the Calgary Crime Stoppers’ successful bid to host the 2005 international conference. The group did a great job promoting their city and province.

While in Australia, I met with numerous authorities and counterparts in Melbourne and Sydney to compare notes on corrections, policing, crime prevention, services for victims of crime and methamphetamine production and use.

The information we collected on meth was fascinating and in November I continued my research by visiting three U.S. cities to observe how the meth problem is being addressed there.

The purpose of the mission was to learn from the U.S. experience to help Alberta remain ahead of the issue before it’s too late.

The experience was well worth it but very sad.

I was horrified to learn how seriously children and other vulnerable individuals are affected by living in homes where the drug is being made.

It is also important to understand how communities are affected when these toxic chemicals find their way into the water, land and air.

We must learn from others so that we can address this problem before it gets worse.

Terry Matchett,
Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General

The Ministry of Justice has an important role to play in ensuring our communities are safe, prosperous and a good place to raise our families. However, the ministry cannot do it alone: it needs the help of many committed partners to achieve this outcome.

Most Albertans are aware of the important role partners such as the police, judiciary and the legal profession play in the administration of justice. However, there are many non-government and volunteer organizations that assist us to reach our goals and deliver our core businesses as well. Organizations like the John Howard Society, Youth Justice Committees, the Alberta Law Foundation, and Legal Aid all provide important services to Alberta’s justice system.

Although they are independent of the ministry, they work collaboratively with us to ensure Albertans benefit from a responsive justice system that is fair and equitable.

In addition to maintaining and enhancing these partnerships, we also work with numerous ministries and agencies within the government on a day-to-day basis and also participate in formal cross-ministry policy priorities such as the Aboriginal Policy Initiative, the Alberta Children and Youth Initiative, the Economic Development and Health Sustainability Initiatives.

Without the ongoing efforts of all our partners to foster and improve our relationships and the justice system, we could not succeed as a ministry. We regard partnerships as an important priority in our day-to-day activities, and express our gratitude to our many partners for the work they do in making Alberta a better and safer place to live.

Jim Nichols ,
Deputy Solicitor General

The 2002-03 Solicitor General annual report, released to the public on September 30th, showed how this has been a challenging and exciting year for the ministry as we worked toward a more safe and secure province.

I want to congratulate members of the department on the hard work they have done over the last year to reach the goals we set out in our business plan. Our performance results in the annual report demonstrate that while we have achieved positive results, there is more that needs to be done to ensure that Alberta’s communities remain safe and secure.

When asked in our public survey, 25 per cent of Albertans reported they had been a victim of crime in the past year. That number is up from 21 per cent the previous year. And while 77 per cent of Albertans feel very safe or somewhat comfortable walking alone at night in their neighbourhood, 23 per cent of Albertans feel unsafe.

Although these numbers are relatively low, we need to look at ways to help Albertans feel more secure at home, and have fewer Albertans becoming victims of crime.

This year’s annual report shows the creativity and dedication of our staff and partners in effectively managing our resources and striving for improvement in our programs and services. Let’s see what we can do together to improve Alberta in the years to come.

I encourage you to share your ideas about ways we can improve our business. Copies of the annual report are available on-line at www.solgen.gov.ab.ca/publications/ or by contacting our communications office at (780) 427-0900.