FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2009

VANCOUVER – The Canadian Bar Association, British Columbia Branch (CBABC), responding to the recent announcement by the Legal Services Society (LSS) of emergency cuts being made to their staffing levels and programs, calls upon the provincial government to review legal aid funding and ensure access to justice for all British Columbians.

Six years after the province slashed funding to legal aid programs by almost 40 per cent, the public’s fundamental right of access to justice is under a renewed assault. The realities of an ever-increasing demand for LSS services and a legacy of close to a decade of under-funding has forced them to implement deep cuts to their programs and staffing levels. The current economic climate will only increase the number of low income individuals who require the type of services provided by the Legal Services Society. Cuts include layoffs of 16 per cent of LSS staff in the Lower Mainland, the equivalent of 38 positions, and a drastic reduction in their advocacy efforts designed to integrate legal aid and promote reform in the justice system.

“BC’s lawyers and judges see first-hand the challenges of people having no or limited access to legal services and representation,” says CBABC President Miriam Maisonville. “In communities across the province, the profession helps to meet that need by providing hundreds of thousands of hours of free and reduced fee services, but a properly funded legal aid system is crucial to meet the growing gaps caused by increased need. The Canadian Bar Association BC Branch calls upon the government to restore legal aid funding levels to support the work of all BC justice system stakeholders to ensure the delivery of legal services to those who need them.”

A meeting between the Legal Services Society and BC’s Attorney General is anticipated shortly to discuss the significant increased demand for LSS services and the resource levels required to meet the critical need for these services. The CBABC hopes that this meeting will be a first step toward finding the means to meet the increased demand on legal aid services.

The Canadian Bar Association and its members are committed to protecting the right of all people to have equal access to justice regardless of their economic status. CBA National and Branch action on this issue includes policy resolutions, advocacy campaigns and legal challenges since 1992. (See www.cba.org/CBA/Advocacy/legalAid/default.aspx.)

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Contact: media@bccba.org

The Canadian Bar Association is the professional organization representing more than 37,000 lawyers, judges and law students in Canada, including 6,200 members in British Columbia.

Legal Services Society -- January 13, 2009
Statement Regarding Service and Staff Changes