Access to justice is a key and ongoing priority for the Canadian Bar Association, so that was our primary focus when looking at this year’s federal budget.
We were happy to see that the budget proposes funding spread over the next five years for several items of interest for access to justice, such as:
- $52 million in increased funding for immigration legal aid
- Plans to add three more judges to handle the Federal Court’s heavy caseload
- $8.1 million for public legal education and information services
- $10 million for indigenous law initiatives through the Justice Partnership and Innovation Program.
- $21.6 million to increase access to family justice in both official languages
- $89 million for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada to deal with an increased workload
While we welcome these and other budget proposals, access to justice requires adequate and sustainable funding. The CBA will continue to press this point with the government and other party leaders as we move toward the election.