Canadian Bar Association BC Branch Responds to BC Government Throne Speech

VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - June 22, 2017) - The Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch (CBABC) is pleased to acknowledge today's government throne speech and its inclusion of increased funding for legal aid in the province. The new investment will provide broader support and improve access to justice for British Columbians.

"Any commitment to give stronger support to legal aid is good news. Increased funding means more British Columbians can find lasting resolutions to legal issues," said Michael Welsh, CBABC president.

Earlier this year, CBABC offered a series of over 30 recommendations and reforms in its position paper, An Agenda for Justice, to improve access to justice for British Columbians. The paper included a call for greater investment in legal aid for family law legal services that address issues like child support, spousal support, division of assets and general custody. Currently at least 40 percent of family law cases in the Provincial Court of BC involve a person who is not represented.

Today's government throne speech indicated a 25 percent increase to legal aid funding to help British Columbians to better access and navigate our legal system.

President Welsh continued, "The speech from the throne today reflects the importance that BC's lawyers and citizens have placed on creating better outcomes for British Columbians in need of legal aid. CBABC has long advocated the critical need for improved government investment in access to justice and, in particular, for additional support to BC's severely underfunded legal aid system."

For more information on CBABC's An Agenda for Justice, please visit www.cbabc.org/A4J.

The Canadian Bar Association is the professional organization representing more than 38,000 lawyers, judges and law students across Canada with nearly 7,000 members in British Columbia.