Agent Affairs Program
The Agent Affairs Program was established in 1996 with the main purpose of managing the private-sector lawyers or law firms (Agents) who conduct prosecutions on behalf of the Federal Crown, as the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) relies on both staff counsel and Agents.
The PPSC uses Agents in areas where it does not have a regional office, or where it is impracticable or otherwise not cost-effective for cases to be handled by staff counsel. Agents are also used when the demand for prosecution services in an area served by a regional office exceeds available staff resources. The PPSC currently retains approximately 425 agents.
The Program was created with the following objectives: 1) enhancing the quality of agent-provided legal services; and 2) ensuring cost-effective service delivery. The Program includes a centralized support unit at PPSC headquarters, namely the Agent Affairs Division, and Agent Supervision Units located in each Regional Office (excluding the Northern offices), which are responsible for the day-to-day management of Agents.
The relationship which exists between the agent community and the PPSC is governed by two comprehensive documents: the PPSC Deskbook and the Agent Agreement – Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) (pdf).
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