Justice Services, Economic Burden and Social Costs in Canada

1. Key findings and recommendations

Abstract

This chapter presents the report’s key findings based on the economic assessment of the cost of justice problems in Canada. Drawing on the in-depth analysis presented in the rest of the report, this chapter highlights the overarching findings in relation to the incidence of justice problems, the four conceptualised stages of justice pathways, and the impacts and costs for twelve problem areas and different sub-groups of the population. Based on these findings, the chapter sets out policy priorities for strengthening access to justice, including prevention and early intervention in the highest-cost problem areas, improving justice pathways in the most prevalent civil problem areas, targeted responses to promote more equal access to justice, and stronger data and evidence to support policy, investment and performance monitoring.

The study draws on a wide range of sources, including legal needs and victimisation surveys, administrative data, and social, economic and demographic data, to estimate the incidence of justice problems in Canada in recent years,1 map people’s pathways to justice, quantify the social costs of these problems, and draw policy conclusions.

1.1. Key findings

1.1.1. Incidence

Multiple Canadian legal needs surveys over the past two decades have shown that serious civil justice problems are widespread. In 2025, the National Justice Survey (NJS) reported that 39% of Canadian adults faced at least one serious and difficult‑to‑resolve problem over the last three years, a figure more consistent with pre‑pandemic surveys than the lower 18% estimate from the COVID‑era 2021 Canadian Legal Problems Survey. To better capture crime, domestic and sexual violence, and child victimisation, this study uses the General Social Survey on Victimisation and dedicated surveys on spousal violence and childhood abuse, which show high incidence of sexual assault and spousal violence with significant under‑reporting to police.

The study estimates incidence rates over 12 months for the twelve most significant justice problem areas: consumer issues, debt and money problems, discrimination, employment issues, housing problems, family and child custody issues, medical treatment issues, will execution issues, workplace injuries and diseases, domestic violence, property crime, and violent crime. It finds that the most common problems are property crime (experienced by 17% of adults on an annual basis), violent crime (9%), poor or incorrect medical treatment (6%), and discrimination (4%). These are followed by employment, consumer, debt/money, and housing problems (2% each).

Across problem areas, exposure is unevenly distributed among population groups (the report uses group denominations such as "Indigenous peoples" and "visible minorities" in accordance with Statistics Canada’s definitions, which are grounded in Canadian law). Indigenous peoples face substantially higher odds of work injuries, family problems, discrimination, and violent victimisation; low‑income individuals experience greater risks in almost all civil areas, especially debt, housing, and social benefits; visible minorities are more exposed to discrimination and some employment and money problems; women are particularly affected by spousal violence, sexual assault, and family problems.

1.1.2. Justice pathways

The study conceptualises justice pathways in four stages: legal capability (recognising legal dimensions of problems and knowing what to do), access to professional assistance (information, advice and representation), use of dispute resolution mechanisms (formal and informal), and final problem resolution. In Canada, legal capability is highest for family breakdown and child custody (over two‑thirds of those with serious problems know what to do) and for victims of property crime and violent crime, but is substantially lower for medical treatment issues (34%), discrimination (less than half) and financial and housing problems.

Overall, 60% of adults with serious civil problems received some form of professional assistance, but use of lawyers or other professional help is low for medical treatment issues, discrimination, harassment, and for victims of violent and property crime, who more often turn to family, friends, or do nothing.

Access to dispute resolution is limited: fewer than 15% of serious civil problems are brought to courts or formal ADR mechanisms, with higher rates only in family matters (around 40%) and in crime when victims report to police (about one‑quarter of serious incidents).

Resolution rates for serious civil problems are generally under 50%, and for property and violent crimes the share of cases resolved through police and justice system interventions is below 15%.

Across all stages, inequalities persist: Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, people with lower education, low income, and younger adults are consistently less likely to be legally capable, to receive professional assistance, to use dispute resolution, and to report their problems as resolved.

1.1.3. Impacts and costs

Using a combination of self‑reported impacts from the CLPS and victimisation surveys, administrative data, and published cost studies, the report estimates both the direct and indirect costs of justice problems to individuals, the justice system, other public services, and employers. It distinguishes costs of problem resolution for civil problems (e.g. costs of legal assistance, time, and stress involved in handling disputes), costs of non‑compliance in civil matters (e.g. medical treatment errors due to negligence or work injuries due to non-compliance with health and safety regulations), and the costs of crime (including violent crime, domestic violence, and property crime).

At aggregate level, the twelve problem areas examined generate an estimated CAD 57.5 billion in annual social costs (2021), equivalent to about 2.4% of GDP. Domestic violence is the single largest contributor at roughly 30% of total costs, followed by violent crime (about 29%), medical treatment issues (16%), workplace injuries and diseases (6%), and property crimes (5%), with other civil problems—including employment, money and debt, housing, family problems, discrimination, and harassment—making up the remainder. The largest share of costs falls on individuals and households, through lost income and productivity, health and mental health impacts, and intangible harms such as pain, suffering, and reduced quality of life; justice system and other public sector costs (health, social services) are smaller but significant.

The report also quantifies how justice pathways influence impacts and costs. Econometric analysis shows that higher legal capability is associated with around 20% lower probability of incurring high financial costs from serious civil problems, while access to dispute resolution mechanisms and timely resolution of problems reduce the likelihood of health and mental health impacts. These relationships suggest that investing in early legal capability, timely assistance, and effective resolution could significantly reduce the social costs of justice problems, especially in high‑burden areas like domestic violence, violent crime, medical errors, and work injuries.

1.2. Policy conclusions and recommendations

The report concludes that justice problems impose substantial and unevenly distributed costs on Canadian society, and that a relatively small number of high‑impact problem areas—domestic violence, violent crime, medical treatment issues, workplace injuries, and property crime—account for the bulk of the burden. It stresses that these problems disproportionately affect Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, women, low‑income individuals, and people with lower education, and that these groups also face more barriers along justice pathways.

The findings highlight the importance of people‑centred justice policies that focus on prevention, early intervention, and tailored support in the highest‑cost problem areas, and that are co‑designed with affected communities and aligned with national strategies such as the Indigenous Justice Strategy, the Black Justice Strategy, the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence and Justice Canada’s implementation plan for Canada’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.

Building on this evidence, the report proposes the following recommendations:

1. Prioritise prevention and early intervention in the highest-cost problem areas: Domestic violence, violent crime, medical treatment issues, and workplace injuries together account for the bulk of the estimated social costs of justice problems. These are also problem areas where prevention and early intervention have the greatest potential to reduce harm and costs to individuals and to the justice and public service systems.

• Domestic violence and violence against women: Align resources and policy action with the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence and Justice Canada's implementation plan for Canada's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, with particular attention to survivor-centred early intervention, shelter, and support infrastructure.

• Violent crime, including sexual assault: Expand trauma-informed, victim-centred reporting and support pathways, recognising that a large majority of violent crime victims do not report to police and that Indigenous peoples and women face substantially higher exposure.

• Medical treatment issues: Strengthen redress pathways, including for patients with limited legal capability to navigate existing complaint and claims processes; Collaborate with the health sector to enhance patient safety standards and clinical review mechanisms.

• Workplace injuries and diseases. Collaborate with the labour sector to reinforce occupational health and safety inspection and enforcement, improve complaint processes and whistleblower protections, particularly in high-risk industries, drawing on evidence that targeted inspections with penalties are effective in reducing injury rates and costs.

2. Improve justice pathways in the most prevalent civil problem areas: Medical treatment issues and discrimination are the two most commonly reported civil problems in Canada, yet they show the lowest levels of legal capability, professional assistance, access to dispute resolution, and resolution of all civil problem areas. Employment, debt and money, consumer, and housing issues similarly combine high incidence with lack of effective justice pathways.

• Legal capability: Invest in problem-specific public legal information and outreach, including patient rights materials in healthcare settings and employment rights information in workplace contexts, to help people recognise and act on these problems at an earlier stage.

• Professional assistance. Review legal aid mandates and community legal clinic coverage to address gaps in areas with low rates of professional assistance, particularly medical treatment, discrimination, and harassment cases.

• Dispute resolution: Develop accessible, low-cost administrative and specialist mechanisms for high-incidence civil problem areas, and strengthen referral pathways between existing services (healthcare complaints bodies, human rights commissions) and dispute resolution options.

3. Reduce inequalities in exposure and access to justice: Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, low-income individuals, and women face substantially higher rates of exposure to justice problems and encounter more barriers at every stage of the justice pathway. These groups are also among those who bear the highest personal costs when problems remain unresolved.

• Indigenous peoples: Sustain and scale up Indigenous-led diversion, healing, and community justice programming under the Indigenous Justice Strategy, and embed Indigenous-designed data collection and accountability mechanisms in all related justice programming.

• Visible minorities: Strengthen the Black Justice Strategy and extend its implementation to include housing, financial hardship, and medical treatment issues; invest in culturally appropriate justice services for visible minorities facing discrimination, housing, and debt-related problems.

• Low-income individuals: Review legal aid eligibility thresholds and scope to address gaps in coverage for debt, money, and medical treatment cases, where the combination of elevated exposure and reduced access to assistance is particularly pronounced.

• Women and children: Ensure that survivor-centred, trauma-informed approaches are embedded across justice system responses to violent and family justice problems, including within occupational health and safety and family law contexts.

4. Strengthen the evidence base for justice policy and investment: Several data gaps constrain the ability to monitor progress, evaluate interventions, and allocate resources effectively. These include the absence of up-to-date national court expenditure data, consolidated statistics on alternative dispute resolution and diversion, longitudinal data linking justice problem experiences to health and social outcomes, and consistent disaggregation of administrative justice data for exposed groups of population.

• Establish regular, comprehensive collection and publication of justice system expenditure data, disaggregated by problem area, court level, and jurisdiction.

• Develop national data on the use and outcomes of ADR, diversion programmes, and correctional trajectories in collaboration with Statistics Canada and provincial and territorial partners.

• Establish a national justice data collaboration, harmonising metrics across criminal and civil areas (including administrative and labour justice institutions).

• Implement a consistent framework for disaggregating administrative justice data by Indigenous identity, race/ethnicity, men/women, and income, consistent with the monitoring frameworks embedded in the Indigenous and Black Justice Strategies.

• Conduct social cost analysis of the type developed in this study on a regular basis to track changes in the burden of justice problems across problem areas and population groups, and to inform the prioritisation of policy and funding decisions.

Note

← 1.  The study draws mostly on primary data from 2021, which it complements, when necessary, with sources spanning 2018 to 2025. The cost estimates are expressed in 2021 values.