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Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI)
What is Public Legal Education and Information?
Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) activities provide members of the public with the legal information they need to make informed decisions and participate effectively in the justice system. These activities contribute to ensuring that Canada has an accessible and responsive justice system that meets the needs of its citizens.
The Department of Justice Canada provides annual funding to one designated PLEI organization in each province. These organizations are co-designated by the Department and its provincial counterparts. The funding is provided in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Justice Partnership and Innovation Fund. The funding is limited to these organizations. In the Yukon , Northwest Territory and Nunavut , PLEI is delivered as part of Access to Justice Service Agreements between the respective governments and the Department of Justice Canada . These organizations do not give "legal advice". They may only distribute information about various aspects of the law or provide referrals so that people can make informed justice-related decisions.
In addition, the Department also provides project funding to non-governmental organizations to develop and deliver information activities and tools and who qualify for funding from the various funding programs with the Department, namely: the Justice Partnership and Innovation Fund, the Victims Fund, the Family Violence Initiative, the Youth Justice Renewal Fund, the Child-centred Family Justice Fund, the Aboriginal Justice Strategy and the Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Support Fund.
PLEI organizations that receive annual funding support from DOJ are:
Why is information about the law and justice system important?
One of the strategic outcomes of the Department of Justice is to ensure that Canada's system of justice is accessible, efficient and fair. Ensuring that the laws and the justice system are accessible is a cornerstone of democracy and is essential to the effective functioning of our justice system. Information about the law is important for several reasons:
- People who are aware of the laws that govern them are less likely to be in conflict with the justice system.
- People who come in contact with the system for whatever reason - as an offender, as a victim, as a witness - may not be aware of their obligations or where to get information about their situation.
- Research has shown that information and education are important aspects of crime prevention.
- Every member in a democratic society has a need and responsibility to be aware of their rights and responsibilities and of the rights of other members in that society.
- Knowledge about the law can help people better identify the kind of legal advice or assistance they may require. Public legal information is not intended to replace the services of a lawyer where it is required, but often it is helpful to have information about the law in question, in addition to seeking advice.
- Having access to information about the law and how to access legal and social resources in the community can be especially important to people who are at a disadvantage because of language barriers, economic reasons, reasons of discrimination, etc.
Other ways the department supports public legal education and information
The provincial PLEI organizations are not the only organizations that receive assistance from the Department to develop and deliver information activities and tools in the community. The Department also provides project funding to other organizations and community members who qualify for funding from the various programs within the Department to develop and deliver plei related projects. Each program within the department has specific criteria for funding and you should check with each program to see what those criteria are.
A bit of background
PLEI began in the 1960s in Canada as a movement run mainly through law student clinics and consumer advocacy groups. Since then it has grown into a Canada-wide service for the delivery of information and education about the judicial system to the general public in their communities.
The key providers of this service are:
- The Department of Justice;
- 13 core providers (one per province and territory)
- a wide variety of partnering or intermediary organizations (for example, legal aid clinics, health centres, churches; and groups that target specific publics, such as seniors, women, Aboriginal people and immigrants).
In 1987, a national association dedicated to PLEI, the Public Legal Education Association of Canada (PLEAC) was formed to ease communication among PLEI deliverers and to act as a national voice and advocate for PLEI issues.
Today, PLEI is delivered through a variety of activities and in a wide range of locales. Projects and activities include:
- print and audio-visual materials about specific legal issues, such as divorce, child support and tenant rights;
- law lines staffed by people who provide legal information;
- taped legal information available by telephone ("Dial-a-law" and Téléphone Juridique);
- speakers, seminars and workshops on specific legal topics;
- school-based law courses;
- electronic access to legal information;
- interactive learning modules;
- popular theatre.
Contact Information
Programs Branch
Department of Justice Canada
284 Wellington Street, 6th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario
CANADA
K1A 0H8
Telephone: (613) 957-3706
Fax: (613) 941-2269
E-mail: prgmbranch@justice.gc.ca |
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