Services and Programs

Established in April 1992, Dispute Prevention and Resolution Services (DPRS) is devoted to the prevention and management of disputes. Our mandate is to serve as a leading centre of dispute prevention and resolution (DPR) excellence within the Government of Canada and beyond. Our role is to promote a greater understanding of DPR and assist in the integration of DPR into the policies, operations and practices of departments and agencies of the Government of Canada, Crown corporations, federal tribunals and administrative agencies, and federally constituted courts.

DPRS is committed to providing a variety of services and programs, including the following:

  • Advisory services on neutral evaluation, mediation, arbitration and other DPR options;
  • Policy development in the DPR field;
  • Dispute prevention initiatives;
  • Training, including courses on principled negotiation, mediation and advocacy in the DPR context;
  • Systems design work, including needs analyses, best practices and project evaluation, in relation to conflict prevention resolution;

Our services and programs include:

Advisory

DPRS includes several experienced counsel who can provide support to federal departments and agencies employees on DPR options in litigation matters, contracts, negotiations, drafting of agreements and settlements, systems design and relationship-building.  DPRS has also produced a Dispute Resolution (DR) Reference Guide as well as model DR Model Clauses. DPRS is available to address questions and queries on DPR resources, both internal and external.

Policy Development

DPRS has been, and remains at the forefront of the development of the Department of Justice policies and guidelines on the use of DR mechanisms to resolve disputes. Through the Department, DPRS helps to ensure that governmental policies on contracting matters are keeping pace with the evolution of DR practices.

Dispute Prevention

DPRS recognizes that dispute prevention is the best approach to managing conflict effectively. We have extensive experience in designing and implementing dispute prevention and resolution programs for clients in the area of workplace conflict. DPRS is now aiming to take the lessons learned from these programs and to apply to them in other areas that result in legal disputes. We are very interested in working with Legal Services counsel and litigation counsel who are able to identify “problem areas” and who are interested in working on creative solutions. This work is closely related to the current Department of Justice corporate priorities on Managing the Volume of Litigation and on Performance Management.

Training

DPRS provides extensive training on a regular basis to Justice employees, and employees of client departments and agencies either in relation to legal practice or conflict in the workplace. It offers training on topics such as principled negotiation, mediation, arbitration, cross-cultural negotiation, and effective communications.

DPRS can arrange for core course delivery or provide advice and guidance on a training package that would suit your needs.

Systems Design

DPRS has been actively involved in the overall development of the Informal Conflict Management Systems (ICMS) in order for departments and agencies to meet the requirements of s. 207 of the Public Service Labour Relations Act. On occasion, DPRS also provides assistance to conflict prevention and resolution systems design, such as in land claims matters.

Other Initiatives

Dispute Resolution Award in Law Studies

The Dispute Resolution Award in Law Studies is currently under review and will not be offered for the academic year 2006-2007.

Launched in 1998, the DR Award is intended to encourage law students to pursue research in, and write about, dispute resolution. One award per academic year is available to each of the 22 Canadian law schools, represented by the Council of Canadian Law Deans. Of the papers receiving awards, one is selected for national recognition by a panel of experts in the dispute resolution field.

Dispute Resolution Fund

A joint initiative established in 1998 by the Department of Justice and Treasury Board, the DR Fund has made $6.9 million available to federal organizations to assist in the design and implementation of DR programs. Over three years, the Fund has supported 52 projects representing some of the most exciting and innovative DR work in government to date.