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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2000

OTTAWA "Sandra," a P.E.I. mother of three, abandoned by her husband and victimized by her province's legal aid system, is the subject of the second real-life "Horror Story" released by the Canadian Bar Association to pressure governments into reforming the legal aid process.

Today's story tells how "Sandra" (not her real name), who desperately needs child support for her three small children, is denied legal assistance at every turn. Hers is a true story - the second horror story to be released by the CBA, from among the countless accounts of how everyday Canadians are hurt by a vastly underfunded legal aid system.

"We said that we would be a thorn in the government's paw when we launched the Watch, and we meant it," said Daphne Dumont, Q.C., of Charlottetown, President of the CBA and longtime legal aid activist. "Sandra's story is heartbreaking, but it's a classic example of how ordinary Canadians suffer when they're denied access to justice.

"Governments at both the federal and provincial level have failed their constituents by neglecting the legal aid system throughout the country," she added. "Access to the justice system is a right guaranteed to every Canadian."

The CBA's Legal Aid Watch, launched in August 2000, is a grassroots network of lawyers across the country deeply concerned about the state of legal aid funding and its impact on Canadians. They monitor the administration of legal aid in their own communities and file e-mail reports of "horror stories" to the CBA, which in turn circulates these stories to media and legislators at both the provincial and federal level.

The first horror story, released Oct. 28, dealt with a Toronto man accused of assaulting his girlfriend. Denied legal aid, the accused decided to represent himself and proceeded to inflict a painful, three-hour cross-examination on the woman he was charged with beating.

During the recent election campaign, the CBA called on all five national political parties to provide their positions on the crisis in legal aid funding. "The responses were very disappointing," noted Ms. Dumont. "The campaign offered the perfect opportunity for the parties to speak out in favour of improving access to justice for all Canadians, and none of them did."

The Canadian Bar Association is dedicated to improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 37,000 lawyers, notaries, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.

The full text of "Sandra's" story is attached. CONTACT: Hannah Bernstein, Canadian Bar Association, 500 - 865 Carling Ave. , Ottawa, ON, K1S 5S8 Tel: (613) 237-2925; E-mail: hannahb@cba.org