Alberta legal aid lawyers threaten job action over ‘perpetual funding neglect’
criminal defense lawyers across Alberta issued an ultimatum to Justice Minister Tyler Shandro, saying they will withdraw from legal aid without an infusion of new funding.” class=”featured-image__image type:primaryImage” height=”525″ src=”https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonsun/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/n4crownwalk0417-s.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&h=216″ srcset=”https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonsun/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/n4crownwalk0417-s.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&h=216,
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Alberta lawyers who represent low income clients are threatening to walk off the job over what they call “perpetual funding neglect” of Legal Aid Alberta.
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On Saturday, three organizations representing criminal defense lawyers across Alberta issued an ultimatum to Justice Minister Tyler Shandro, months after Crown prosecutors made similar demands for additional funding
“The most minimal provision of legal aid services in Alberta is at a breaking point,” states the news release. “While we are prepared to collaborate with other stakeholders to solve this crisis, our cooperation is contingent upon a meaningful commitment by the government to adequate fund Legal Aid Alberta now.
“To ensure the government understands the immediacy of this crisis and the importance of this funding, our organizations are taking steps towards job action.”
The release is signed by the Edmonton-based Criminal Trial Lawyers’ Association (CTLA), Calgary’s Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Association and the Southern Alberta Defense Lawyers’ Association.
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Unlike the public defender system in the United States, defense lawyers in Alberta are not employed directly by the government. Rather, they are paid