The Ministère de la Justice favours access to a system of justice that is close to citizens, trustworthy and honest, so that citizens are more easily able to exercise their rights.

The department serves a wide range of clients. For the purposes of the Citizen Service Statement, clients are

• people who want to know more about their rights, have their rights recognized, or assert their rights before a court of law, with or without the assistance of a representative;
• people who are called as witnesses1 or jurors;
• people who have applied to be designated as a celebrant for a marriage or civil union ceremony;
• people who want to consult one of the department’s public registers or register a right, statement or notice;
• people who want to become commissioners for oaths;
• people who want to obtain the electronic keys and certificates needed to use certain government e-services;
• people who have received a statement of penal offence or are required to pay a fine following a court judgment;
• people who are victims of sexual abuse, violence or other crimes, as well as the relatives of victims and witnesses.

1) Citizens should refer to the Statement of Principle regarding Witnesses to ensure that their rights are protected and minimize the inconvenience of appearing as a witness. Click here to access the Statement of Principle.

The department offers a variety of services. Some services are provided directly to the general public, including

• General information
   
• Justice services
• Administration of judicial files
• Mediation and information sessions:
• family mediation
• small claims mediation
• Administration of voluntary deposits
• Application for the release of a road vehicle from seizure, and application for a restricted driver’s licence
• Marriage and civil union
• Small claims interviews
• Payment of jurors and determination of allowances for witnesses
• Recordings of court hearing and production of audio copies
   
• Registers and certificates
• Registration and consultation of registers:
• register of personal movable and real rights
• register of commissioners for oaths
• registry of lobbyists
• register of letters patent for land (a public register containing the official documents used for concessions of public land)
• Certification of electronic exchanges
   
• Offences and fines
• Administration of files for penal offences
• Enforcement of criminal and penal judgments that include a fine
   
• Interprovincial and international judicial cooperation
• Help in locating a child abducted by a parent and negotiating an amicable solution between the parties
• Institution of judicial proceeds, if needed, to force the return of a child taken or illicitly held abroad by a parent
• Enforcement of support orders made in Québec in other Canadian provinces and some US states

General commitments

• Ensure that staff members are competent, respectful and courteous.
• Use simple, clear and concise language in verbal and written communications.
• Provide reliable information.
• Deal with all requests impartially.
• Protect personal information as required by law.

Specific commitments

General information

• Answer phone calls within two minutes in 80% of cases once you have made a choice from the main menu (client communication centre, offences and fines bureau, registers and certificates division).

Justice services

• Give people chosen for jury service information on their role and the measures taken to ensure that their rights are respected.
• Issue indemnity and allowance cheques to jurors once a week, in accordance with the regulations in force.
• Offer people who file a claim at small claims court an interview with a clerk to help them complete the claim form, within 15 working days after assistance is requested.
• Conduct a phone interview and send an information kit to people who apply to be designated as an ad hoc celebrant for a marriage or civil union ceremony, to inform them about their rights and duties.
• Deal with a written request to obtain a copy of an accessible document in a court record within 30 working days.*

* Once the applicable fee has been paid.

Registers and certificates

• Register of personal movable and real rights
  • Publish a right one working day after receiving the application for registration, in 90% of cases.*
• Registry of lobbyists
  • Register returns and notices within two working days after receiving them, in 90% of cases.*
• Register of commissioners for oaths
  • Issue a first commission within 3 working days after receiving an application.*
• Register of letters patent for land (a public register containing the official documents used for concessions of public land)
  • Issue certified copies within 10 working days.*
• Certification services for electronic exchanges
  • Issue signature verification certificates within two working days.*
  • Revoke signature verification certificates within one working day.

* Once the applicable fee has been paid.

Victims of crime

Specifically, if you are the victim of a crime, the department makes a commitment to :

• give you the name and contact information for the person responsible for your court case as soon as possible, using the information provided by the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions;
• give you access to a reserved waiting room before your testify in court;
• make it easier for children to testify, when required by the circumstances and permitted by the court;
• keep you informed throughout the proceedings :
  • of decisions that concern you;
  • of the conditions imposed by the court and of any change in those conditions, once your presumed aggressor has been released on bail;
  • of the assistance services available;
    
• make available, during the proceedings:
  • a form you can use to make the court aware of the consequences the crime has had on you personally and on your life, after the accused person has appeared in court;
  • all relevant information on the judicial process and on your rights and recourses;
• provided assistance services and a court accompaniment service in your region.

The department supports the ongoing work of the assistance centres for victims of crime (CAVACs), which offer free, confidential front-line services.

The CAVAC network can be contacted toll-free at :
1 866 LE CAVAC (1 866 532-2822)
Website : www.cavac.qc.ca

We rely on your help to :

• provide relevant documents and information;
• pay the applicable fees;
• submit completed applications;
• submit applications within the deadlines;
• advise us of any change that could affect your application;
• submit comments, suggestions and complaints, to allow us to improve our services.

The department intends to implement measures to provide the best possible adapted services for people with an impairment. The measures taken to adapt the department’s services are set out in a publicly-released annual action plan.

To find our more about these measures, go to the Publications – administrative documents section on the website.

To ensure ongoing improvements to the quality of its services, the department would like to hear about your opinion and concerns.

You can contact the department :

via the website : www.justice.gouv.qc.ca

by writing to the following address :

Ministère de la Justice
Direction des communications
1200, route de l’Église
Québec (Québec)  G1V 4M1

For further information, contact one of the following service points :

CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS CENTRE
Québec City area : 418 643-5140
Toll-free : 1 866 536-5140
E-mail : informations@justice.gouv.qc.ca

COURTHOUSES
To find the address and opening hours of courthouses and service points, call the client communication centre or on our website under the heading “Contact us”.

OFFENCES AND FINES

Bureau des infractions et amendes
1200, route de l’Église, 6e étage
Québec (Québec)  G1V 4M1

Toll-free : 1 877 263-6337
Website : www.amendes.qc.ca

To find the address of the service points and regional offices for offences and fines,  go to the website at www.amendes.qc.ca under the heading “Contact us”.

REGISTERS AND CERTIFICATES

Direction des registres et de la certification
1, rue Notre-Dame Est, bureau 7.07
Montréal (Québec)  H2Y 1B6

Register of personal movable and real rights (RDPRM)
Website : www.rdprm.gouv.qc.ca 
Montréal area : 514 864-4949
Québec area : 418 646-4949
Toll-free : 1 800 465-4949
Teletype (TDD) : 514 864-9373
Fax : 514 864-4867

Register of commissioners for oaths
Website : www.assermentation.justice.gouv.qc.ca 
Montréal area : 514 864-5761
Québec area : 418 528-5761
Toll-free : 1 855 297-5761
Teletype (TDD) : 514 864-9373
Fax : 514 864-4867

Registry of lobbyists
Website : www.lobby.gouv.qc.ca
Montréal area : 514 864-5762
Québec area : 418 528-5762
Toll-free : 1 855 297-5762
Teletype (TDD) : 514 864-9373
Fax : 514 864-4867

Electronic exchange certification service
Website : www.infocles.justice.gouv.qc.ca
Montréal area : 514 864-5763
Québec area : 418 528-5763
Toll-free : 1 855 297-5763
Teletype (TDD) : 514 864-9373
Fax : 514 864-4867

Register of letters patent for land (a public register containing the official documents used for concessions of public land)
Website : www.lettresfoncieres.justice.gouv.qc.ca
Montréal area : 514 864-5764
Québec area : 418 528-5764
Toll-free : 1 855 297-5764
Teletype (TDD) : 514 864-9373
Fax : 514 864-4867

If you have any comments, suggestions or complaints about the quality of our services, you should submit them to the coordinator for the office concerned. If necessary, you can then contact the :

Complaints office
by E-mail : plaintes@justice.gouv.qc.ca

in writing :

Ministère de la Justice
Direction des communications
1200, route de l’Église
Québec (Québec)  G1V 4M1

Quebec City area : 418 528-1370
Toll-free : 1 866 528-1370
Fax : 418 644-4449

A complaint is...
an expression of dissatisfaction with the services you have received.

Processing of a complaint
The department undertakes to respond to a complaint within 30 business days after it is received by the Complaints office