The provincial government says it will pony up more money for Legal Aid in the 2015 budget but that's not stopping the Alberta Liberal Party from continuing a petition campaign to force an immediate $12 million into the program.
“I am taking it as a win,” said Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman, the party's justice critic, of the recent funding promise by Jonathan Denis, the provincial justice minister. She added the issue of Legal Aid's funding shortfall is so serious more money needs to be put in the program immediately.
“How much is he going to increase it by?” Blakeman said. “He did say he was going to deal with it. I imagine that is going to be somewhere between my $12 million and his nothing.”
Blakeman and the Liberals have been hammering the governing Tories since the spring over the $12-million shortfall in the Legal Aid program, which provides legal assistance to low-income Albertans and is funded by both the provincial and federal governments, as well as a dwindling portion from the Alberta Law Foundation.
Denis announced on July 23 he will put more money in the program next year, the first increase from the governing Tories since 2011. However, he did not say how much that increase would be.
He defended the government's record of support for the Legal Aid program, noting that in 2005 the province provided $20.2 million and that it now stands at $49.4 million, an increase he said is “well in excess” of Alberta's population growth and inflation.
Denis added the province pays 82 per cent of the cost of the program, noting federal support has been “flat” over the same time period with an annual contribution of $10 million.
“If they had increased the same amount in percentage as we have as a province that wouldn't be at issue in that particular area,” said Denis, adding the issue of federal underfunding of Legal Aid programs across the country was brought up by every province at a justice ministers' meeting in Whitehorse, Yukon last November.
Denis wrote Peter MacKay, the federal justice minister, a letter on May 26 outlining the severity of the Legal Aid funding shortfall and to “encourage” him to work towards “more equitable, sustainable and adequate” funding of criminal legal aid in Alberta.
However, Blakeman said Denis has “blurred the lines” on responsibility for funding and is demanding the minister stop blaming Ottawa for the Legal Aid's chronic funding shortfall problem.
She noted the provincial government signed a contract with Legal Aid to provide services across the province and the justice minister has the ability to guide and direct the agency towards improved financial health.
“The problem is that they (government) have not increased the funding and we have had a huge increase in (population) growth and the funding has not even been inflationary, never mind accounting for volume increase or growth,” said Blakeman, adding an immediate $12-million infusion into Legal Aid is “pocket fluff” in terms of overall government spending.
“I mean $12 million is a lot of money to you and me, and to many, many Albertans, but in the larger scheme of things and to how our democratic system works as well as our court system, that is not a big amount of money.”
Blakeman said the petition drive will continue until the fall session of the legislature, towards the end of October. She is hoping the petition garners between 500 and1,000 signatures.
