Editorial: Alberta’s Vulnerable Justice System Gets Reprieve

Alberta’s fragile justice system got a reprieve last week when the Alberta government and Legal Aid Alberta agreed to extend the current, expired funding deal until September, giving both sides more time to negotiate.

Why vulnerable? Because justice must be about two principles, otherwise justice does not exist in society at all: the presumption of innocence with the burden of proof on the Crown, and equal access to the legal system for everyone.

By threatening to suspend its services, Legal Aid Alberta wanted to ensure that Albertans knew the second principle was at stake.

What does Legal Aid Alberta do? While it is not perfect, it is the premier organization in Alberta that provides legal assistance to people in the community who have been financially disadvantaged. This includes not only criminal law matters, but also those who cannot afford legal assistance in any area, including family law, mental health, immigration law and civil law.

If only the wealthy can afford to navigate Alberta’s justice system, it violates the human rights of all other Albertans who do not fall into that category. Likewise, justice should not be used for political expediency.

Legal Aid Alberta threatened to withdraw its services, not only because it could not sustain itself financially as things stood, but also because it could not accept the Smith government’s attempts to impose political conditions. According to Legal Aid Alberta, Justice Minister Mickey Amery had asked for more authority to determine how Legal Aid’s funding could be used, and the ability to withdraw funding from the organization at any time if she was not satisfied. In effect, he said, for all intents and purposes: Kiss the ring; or I will be displeased.

That’s probably not what most Albertans think of when they think of justice.

See related story: Legal Aid Alberta services extended until September – Airdrie News (airdriecityview.com)