Legal Aid Alberta requires more funding, say defense lawyer associations
5 mins read

Legal Aid Alberta requires more funding, say defense lawyer associations

‘These short-term consequences carry long-term implications and will inevitably lead to a roster of lawyers with limited experience in criminal law’

Article content

Several Alberta lawyer associations are calling on the provincial government to provide more funding to Legal Aid in the province.

Advertisement 2

Article content

The Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Association in Calgary, the Criminal Trial Lawyers’ Association in Edmonton and the Southern Alberta Defense Lawyers’ Association released a joint statement Saturday saying the government has underfunded Legal Aid in recent years. The groups say that funding has not been kept in line with inflation leading to defense lawyers struggling to make a living.

“Like Legal Aid roster lawyers, Crown attorneys had not seen a pay increase for seven years. During that same time period, the Bank of Canada has reported an inflation rate of 19.7 per cent. Many defense lawyers haven’t been able to make a living, leading some to change sides and opt for the stable salary and benefits provided by Crown attorney positions,” reads the statement. “Like the Crown Attorneys’ Association, our members are only asking for fair compensation. Our pay must be brought in line with a roster of lawyers in other provinces. At present, it is nearly 40 per cent less.”

Advertisement 3

Article content

Crown attorneys in Alberta raised concerns earlier this year over their pay, leading to negotiations being opened with the province.

The defense lawyer associations said in their statement the “most minimal provisions” of legal aid in Alberta is at a breaking point. They said underfunding lawyers on the roster discourages senior, experienced lawyers from taking legal aid cases which in turn leads to fewer learning opportunities for junior attorneys.

“These short-term consequences carry long-term implications and will inevitably lead to a roster of lawyers with limited experience in criminal law,” read the release. “The quality of legal services will deteriorate, and the risk of wrongful convictions will grow. Which means more appeals, more retrials, more victims returning to court, more waste of precious court time, and more Jordan stays of serious prosecutions. You can count on it.”

Advertisement 4

Article content

The associations said the province has also failed to deliver on a funding agreement agreed upon in 2018 with a $40-million funding gap in 2021-22, according to figures released by the defense lawyers.

They said they had reached out to Shanro asking for a reply to their concerns by July 29 but had not received a response. They said they will meet later this week to discuss next steps.

Requests for comment sent to Shanro’s office Saturday evening were not returned.

Legal Aid is a publicly-funded non-profit organization that provides Albertans with affordable legal services in family law, domestic violence, child welfare, immigration, and youth and adult criminal defense.

[email protected]

Advertisement 1

Comments

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your e-mail settings.

Related Posts