Report confirms that B.C. isn’t providing the most basic legal aid needs and calls for increased funding
In June 2010, after years of government cutbacks to legal aid services in British Columbia and concerns about those most impacted, a Public Commission on Legal Aid was established as a joint project of several legal organizations, including the Law Society of British Columbia. Its purpose was to engage British Columbians in a discussion about legal aid and to produce a report of its findings, making recommendations to improve legal aid in the province.
The commission’s final report [opens to PDF], released on March 8, 2011, states that legal aid services provided in British Columbia today are too little and their longevity or consistency too uncertain. The report also calls for legal aid to be fully funded as an essential public service.
We speak with Alison Brewin, executive director of West Coast Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF).
