Provincial Legal Aid will be provided with $30 million per year from the Justice Department. This, coming after 13 years of federal contributions remaining stagnant at $112 million per year.
“All Canadians — no matter their means — should have the right to a fair trial and access to a modern, efficient justice system,” Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said in a statement issued Wednesday. - via Toronto StarWhy is this important?
“The demographics are that family legal aid is used predominantly by women and criminal legal aid is used predominantly by men,” said Karen Hudson, executive director of the Nova Scotia Legal Aid Commission.- via Global News
"David Price, a Superior Court justice in Ontario, figures about half the litigants undertaking family and civil law motions in his Brampton, Ont., courtroom are doing so on their own. “If they’re not able to supply the necessary evidence and legal argument, the judge’s task and the time required to perform it will be greater,” he said by email (Price stressed that his remarks were based on his own experiences, and that he is not a spokesman for the court). Self-represented litigants are less likely to settle out of court, the judge added, and the delay causes frustrations for everyone involved. “The judge is disappointed to find that fewer cases on the list settle,” he said. “The litigant is disappointed to find the judge cannot decide the case immediately.” - via MacLeansIf you or someone you know requires legal aid, please contact 1-800-668-8258, Monday-Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
