Alberta is among the richest provinces in the country, and one of the wealthiest jurisdictions in North America. Yet, our provincial government has refused to adequately fund its legal aid program for decades, denying many vulnerable Albertans the lawyers they need. At present, more than $80M of promised funding is owed by the government. 

This summer, Alberta’s four criminal defence lawyer associations sent an unequivocal message to Justice Minister Tyler Shandro: the injustice ends now. Despite escalating job action, Minister Shandro continues to ignore this message. He refuses to ensure equal access to justice for all. Despite boasting about a $13B surplus, his government says low-income Albertans have to wait for legal assistance until 2023. 

At present, to qualify for legal aid, an Albertan with a family of four must have a household income of less than $38,134 – the equivalent of two full-time income earners each making roughly $10.50/hour. On a household income this low, two parents would struggle to provide food and shelter for their children. To suggest there would be extra money left over to pay for a lawyers is beyond ridiculous, it is downright cruel. 

Access to justice should exist for everyone. All Albertans deserve access to the best legal representation possible.  When Legal Aid is underfunded, people with no legal training or experience are often left to represent themselves in court. This carries consequences for the entire justice system – cases are delayed, families suffer, and the risk of mistakes and wrongful convictions grows. 

When knowledgeable and experienced lawyers accept Legal Aid cases, our justice system becomes more efficient. Currently, the schedule used to pay for lawyers (known as “the tariff”) is among the lowest in the country. Under the current tariff, lawyers are not afforded sufficient time to properly prepare their files and, for the time that is compensated, they receive a significantly lower rate than what is paid to similar lawyers in other provinces. 

Until now, this has not stopped hard-working lawyers from trying to help Albertans. They have put in the long hours it takes to properly defend their clients. By taking job action, Alberta’s criminal defence lawyers have sent a clear message to Minister Shandro: from now on, they will only work for fair compensation. 

When Crown prosecutors threatened to strike in April due to low wages, they were granted immediate raises by the Minister. When defence counsel asked for fair compensation, the Minister said he would think about it later. When the poorest, most vulnerable Albertans came knocking to ask for equal access to lawyers, the Minister told them to go away and wait. 

The Minister’s tactics have left the scales of justice out of balance. None of these issues can wait until later. To ensure equal access to justice for Albertans, we need an adequately funded legal aid program right now. 

By signing this petition, you are supporting equal access to justice in Alberta by demanding that the provincial government: 

• Make immediate adjustments to the financial eligibility guidelines (to, at minimum, account for current costs of living and inflation);
• Immediately increase the hourly rate paid to lawyers under the tariff, accounting for inflation and the hourly rates paid in comparable provinces; and
• Direct a comprehensive review and modernization of Alberta’s provincial legal aid program, with a mandate that includes consideration of the budget increases necessary to ensure:
  • proper legal representation is available to all Albertans in need; and
  • the sustainability of that program for years to come.