Justice For All

January 1, 1925

It's been an interesting century so far for the Department of Justice - and it's going to get more so. Canada has already gone through the Great War, labour strife, suffrage and immigration debates, and another war and further economic upheaval is on the way.

As the Department responsible for providing the government with legal advice, Justice is right in the thick of everything. It is involved in making recommendations about the law, advising other government departments, drafting legislation, and helping to enforce existing statutes.

The Department of External Affairs was founded in 1909, and the First World War really accelerated Canada's involvement in international affairs. That led to an increased role by the Department of Justice in advising the government of international matters. For example, the Department provided support for Canada's negotiations with respect to the Treaty of Versailles in 1919- the Treaty that ended the War.

The Department has grown very slowly since 1900. In 1908, for example, there were still only six to eight legal officers on staff. By 1925, that number hasn't really changed.

None of the Department's lawyers are female. This isn't unusual, since government is a reflection of the society that has created it. In 1925 in Canada, although women have won the right to vote, there are still many practical barriers to women entering the fields of law, medicine and business. Fortunately, this will change in the future, especially within the Department.

In the meantime, the Department, with its handful of lawyers, is working hard on the critical issues of the day. The Minister of Justice is the Honourable Ernest Lapointe.

During the emotional and violent Winnipeg General Strike, the Department implemented Prime Minister Arthur Meighen's decision to enlarge the definitions of "sedition" and "seditious conspiracy" as defined in the Criminal Code at that time. That change - which was protested by the labour movement - helped contain the strike and convince many union leaders to call it off.

The Department's prime focus, however, has been at home, not abroad. It has been busy, and its work reflects the times. In the past ten years it has drafted the legislation granting women the right to vote in 1917, 1918 and 1920, - as well as the legislation that took the vote away from those defined as enemy aliens during the War.