Alberta justice minister to push for more federal Legal Aid funding
Legal Aid Alberta cut a dozen jobs in Calgary and closed six offices across the province
Alberta Justice Minister Jonathan Denis says he will push for more federal funding for Legal Aid at a meeting with his federal and provincial counterparts next week in Calgary.
In June, an ongoing funding crunch forced Legal Aid — a non-profit agency that provides legal services to people in need — to cut a dozen jobs and close six offices across the province. It also tightened its financial eligibility criteria, leaving more low-income Albertans accused of crimes without legal representation as their cases go to court.
"We are getting many calls from the Calgary Remand Centre staff who are concerned about people being detained with mental disabilities, mental health issues and they are going without [legal] counsel and essentially languishing in prison because they're unable to provide a lawyer," said Gabriel Chen, a lawyer who works with Calgary Legal Guidance.
In August, judges around the province began invoking their seldom-used authority to order the government to pay for lawyers for those who could not afford one.
Premier Jim Prentice sent a mandate letter to Denis in September, ordering him to "ensure appropriate funding for Legal Aid."
Similar letters were sent out to all of his newly appointed ministers to outline his expectations and priorities for each portfolio.
The province currently funds about 80 per cent of the Legal Aid program.
The agency has predicted a $15-million deficit by 2016-17.