Background

Scope of the Boycott


Legal Aid Boycott Update
On Monday June 1, 2009, the CLA Executive Board announced its resolution to request senior Toronto members not to take legal aid certificates in Guns & Gangs and homicide cases, effective immediately. Since that time, a large number of senior and junior Toronto members have pledged their commitment to this resolution, as have large numbers of lawyers in a number of other regions across the Province of Ontario. The purpose of this public resolution is to highlight a notorious imbalance in Ontario's criminal justice system between the government's funding of police and prosecution resources and legal aid defence counsel resources. This imbalance, and the urgent need to redress it, has been recognized by every expert body that has studied the matter. Government has repeatedly promised to fix it for years, but has not. All persons charged with criminal offences across Ontario, including the poor and underprivileged, deserve the right to be defended by adequately resourced and fairly compensated defence lawyers. Our criminal justice system's proper, fair and efficient operation depends as much on skilled and effective defence lawyers being willing and able to fight criminal cases, as it does on properly resourced and compensated police, prosecutors and judges. The Ontario legal aid system has been so consistently underresourced over the past 20 years that it is now chronically unable to ensure that underprivileged and poor criminal defendants get their  fair day in court. The government must take immediate steps to fix it.

Read Frank Addario's letter to the Honourable Chris Bentley about
Legal Aid
For further information please contact the CLA office. Tel: 416-214-9875 anthony@criminallawyers.ca

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Media Coverage

Editorials:

Penny-ante legal aid system creates two tiers of justice

Inequities in legal aid payouts leave the poor at risk

Stop-gap on legal aid

The right to be defended

Province fiddles, legal aid burns

No time like the present

Legal Aid must be rescued

Legal Aid shortfall limits justice

The inequities in Legal Aid pay

Justice Denied


Articles:

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Press Releases:

Criminal Lawyers' Association to take up the Ministry of the Attorney General's invitation to engage in good faith discussions in order to resolve the ongoing legal aid dispute read more

Ontario still short-changing Legal Aid Plan lawyers association says– Calls on AG to present a serious strategy for Legal Aid read more

CLA Members participating in
the Legal Aid Boycott

View a list of all Legal Aid Boycott Supporters Are you a lawyer who is interested in participating in the Legal Aid Boycott? Sign up now


Letters & Documents
The Advocates Society Supports Increased Funding for Legal Aid
Support letter from ASLA
CDLPA Resolution
The Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers
Criminal Defence Lawyers Association of Manitoba Letter of Support from AIDWYC
Letter of Support from the Family Lawyers Association
Letter from the Hamilton Law Association
Letter to Bob Ward, Legal Aid Ontario
Mental Health Legal Committee
Amicus OCA Boycott Letter
Letter of Support from the Toronto Lawyers Association
Letter of Support from the Association of Justice Counsel
Letter to Chief Justice Warren Winkler, Associate Chief Justice Dennis OConnor and Justice Marc Rosenberg Letter from the Hon. Hugh R. Locke Letter from Tom Hewitt, OCCA
An Open Letter Regarding Legal Aid Funding for Defence Counsel from Ontario Law Professors
The Standing Senate Committee on Legal Aid and Constitutional Affairs