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Join the campaign to fund legal aid. Tell Justice Minister Judy Wilson-Raybould: Two-tier Justice is no justice at all!
There can be no justice unless there is justice for all
Access to justice is a fundamental constitutional and human right that is currently being denied to large numbers of the most vulnerable members of Canadian society. Cut-offs for access to legal aid are well below the poverty line, which means that only the most indigent have any access to government funded lawyers.
At the same time, most working class people fall into a trap where they earn too much to qualify for legal aid, but not enough to be able to afford the $350/hr charged by the average Canadian lawyer. The average cost of a two-day trial in Canada is over $31,000. Thats not within reach of middle class Canadians
Who needs legal aid services?
Victims of domestic violence; injured workers seeking compensation; single parents seeking child support from delinquent ex-partners; refugees fleeing from persecution; low-income people facing eviction and homelessness; and, persons accused of a crime, including the wrongfully accused.
It’s time for the federal Liberals to do their fair share to support legal aid
At present, no federal transfer funding is specifically dedicated to maintaining or improving civil legal aid, and over the past two decades, the share of Federal funding for criminal legal aid has declined from 50% to a mere 15% of program costs. This has resulted in two-tiered access to justice, and the erosion of fundamental rights for all but the wealthy.
Join us in calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Justice Minister Judy Wilson-Raybould to:
- Increase the Federal share of funding for provincial legal aid programs to a 50/50 cost share with the Provinces.
- Provide dedicated and tied funding for civil legal aid, including family law, human rights law, and housing law, to the Provinces.
- Work together with the Provinces, representatives of low income and vulnerable Canadians, representatives of legal aid service providers, and the broader legal community, in order to reform the Canadian legal system to ensure that every Canadian, regardless of means, has equal access to justice.
Email Justice Minister Judy Wilson-Raybould and let her know that access to justice is a Human Right, not just the privilege of the 1%!