Chair Mary T. Ainslie Crown Counsel-CASP Criminal Appeals 6th Flr, 865 Hornby St Vancouver, BC V6Z 2G3 Tel: (604) 660-1773 Fax: (604) 660-1133 Email: Mary.Ainslie@gov.bc.ca
Mandate To promote the interests and concerns of the legal profession and the delivery of legal aid in the province of British Columbia.
Mission Statement
The mandate of the Legal Aid Committee of the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association is framed as follows:
“To promote the interest and concerns of the legal profession and the delivery of legal aid in the province of British Columbia”
As such, the Committee recognizes that the primary objective of the Committee is to bring the issues relating to Legal Aid to the forefront of the consciousness of the Profession, the public and the government, in its continual quest to improve the levels of Legal Aid delivery to all areas in the Profession which utilize Legal Aid or should be in a position to utilize Legal Aid.
Therefore, the Committee proposes that a more formalized approach be taken to the promotion of the above-mentioned objectives as described below:
To liaise with and collect information about Legal Aid issues from:
CBABC Members, either directly or through elected representatives and/or Provincial Counsel;
CBABC Sections, especially Criminal, Family, ADR, Poverty Law, Human Rights, Young Lawyers, Aboriginal Law, Elder Law, and Immigration and Refugee Law;
Corresponding CBA National Sections;
The Bar (or “members of The Legal Profession”);
The Judiciary;
Law schools;
Community Organizations;
The Legal Services Society;
Government (to the extent authorized by the Executive); and
Practitioners and other professionals for whom Legal Aid is an issue
To recommend initiatives for consideration by the Executive;
To execute such initiatives as approved and directed by the Executive;
To monitor media coverage of Legal Aid issues; and
To initiate or promote media coverage of the Committee’s issues and initiatives by the Executive.
Media
We Need Legal Campaign
Canadian Bar Association Launches Campaign To Build Support For Legal Aid Funding- October 13, 2011 The Canadian Bar Association BC Branch launched a campaign to build support for additional provincial funding of legal aid in the province. CBABC President Sharon Matthews says that the campaign will be fact-based and targeted at the general public.
CBA President Sharon Matthews discusses Legal Aid in BC on CFAX 1070 - 9/26/2011 (Running Time: 21:54) - Link
CBA President Sharon Matthews discusses how a lack of funding for Legal Aid in BC relates to the backlog in the courts on CBC Early Edition - 10/13/2011 (Running Time: 7:59) - Link
A Day for Legal Aid - September 22, 2011
A Day for Legal Aid was held at all three law schools in British Columbia on September 22, 2011. The event was organized by the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch (CBABC) in order to expand dialogue on why legal aid matters in the province of British Columbia. This year marks the second year of the annual Day for Legal Aid event and the first year that the event was held on law school campuses throughout the province. The event also marks the first occasion that students from all three law schools in BC, including the newly established law school at Thompson Rivers University, have participated in a joint event
Excerpt from A Day for Legal Aid - April 17, 2010
A public panel discussion about legal aid service in British Columbia sponsored by the Legal Aid Committee of the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association.
