CALGARY \u2014 Members of a Calgary defence lawyers group are halting work they do for free to pressure the Alberta government to boost Legal Aid funding.<\/p>\n
The Criminal Defence Lawyers Association wants a 65 per cent increase over four years, starting with a 40 per cent bump this year, president Ian Savage wrote in an open letter to Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley this week.<\/p>\n
He said he penned the letter \u201cwith a complete sense of desperation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike a shackled and starving foster child locked in a filthy closet for years, the Legal Aid program is a neglected and degraded shadow of its true potential and is robbing poor and disadvantaged Albertans of their futures,\u201d Savage wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour government knows exactly what is going on with its starving hidden child, but prefers to feed and care for its more attractive and socially appealing bigger brothers and sisters: the police, the prosecution service and the jails.\u201d<\/p>\n
Legal aid funding was set at $89 million in last month’s provincial budget, but Savage said $150 million is needed to run the program properly.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday we will begin withdrawing our unpaid services and expect the government to pay the true cost of the justice system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Savage said Legal Aid has been underfunded for a long time, but his group decided it needed to take a strong stand after last month’s provincial budget.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s just a complete slap in the face,\u201d he said in an interview Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The NDP believed legal aid was being underfunded when it came into power in 2015 and has since increased funding by about 40 per cent, Ganley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt times like these, where other things in my budget haven’t seen nearly that kind of increase, it’s definitely seen the most significant increase,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey’ve been doing quite a good job and obviously we’ve been able to increase their funding such that they’re able to keep up with the workload.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of the increase is due to the economic downturn, as there are more people with a low enough income to qualify for Legal Aid.<\/p>\n
The association said it has a number of actions planned this week and next to put pressure on the government.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re just going to keep adding to the list of action items until they all come to a boil,\u201d Savage said.<\/p>\n
The first is to start moving cases from the Case Management Office \u2014 a counter at the courthouse where justices of the peace handle logistics \u2014 to courtrooms with judges.<\/p>\n
Defence lawyers can spend two to three hours a day dealing with the management office and that time will be more apparent if they appear before a court, Savage said.<\/p>\n
Ganley said it’s too soon to say what impact those tactics may have, but she questioned whether the group should have compared the program to a neglected child.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m not sure that’s the best way to advocate for something.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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