Support growing to restore legal aid funding

With help from the public, informed politicians and concerned community groups, the BCGEU is calling on the government to restore funding to the legal aid system, to allow the regional centres to remain open, and to ensure that all British Columbians have proper access to justice.

The cuts to legal aid over the past year have galvanized opinion in BC: 97% of British Columbians believe in equal access to justice for all. All over the province, folks are getting together to figure out how best to fight these cuts and demand better funding for the legal aid system.

Here are a few examples of what is going on around the province:

• West Coast Leaf (Legal Education and Action Fund) is circulating a petition that they will deliver to Attorney General Mike de Jong. The petition states in part:
  
   "Now is the time to restore services and to begin to develop a comprehensive strategy to build a legal aid system that ensures that women have equal access to the justice system and reflects the needs and values of all British Columbians."
  
  Please visit the site and sign the petition to show your support.
• Family law lawyers in Kamloops will withdraw duty council services on January 11th as a protest against the upcoming closure of the regional office in Kamloops. Contact Graham Kay (250-374-1989) and David Dundee (250-828-9998) for more information.
• A coalition has formed in the Lower Mainland to look at how best to coordinate the efforts of the various groups that are working toward our common goal. For more information please contact Zara Suleman: zsuleman@shaw.ca; Alison Brewin at WC LEAF: 604.684.8772; or Brenton Walters at the BC GEU: 604.291.9611 or brenton.walters@bcgeu.ca.

In the next week we will be posting materials that will help concerned British Columbians connect with their friends and family, the media, and our elected officials in order to join the fight for a better legal aid system in BC. With your help, we can force this government to uphold the principle of Justice For All.

Find out how you can support the Justice For All campaign