March 1, 2002

Non-confidence in the Attorney General

Could it be that even a member of the Campbell backbench is supporting a non-confidence vote in Attorney General Geoff Plant?

BC's Law Society is so angry with the Attorney General for his slashing of legal aid that they have called a special general meeting for April 12th. The Law Society's website provides notice of the meeting and a list of regional meeting locations. The meetings will consider "Condemning the Attorney General for diverting funds from the provision of legal aid and thereby reducing access to justice in British Columbia."

The meeting in Nelson is shown as being held in the offices of Suffredine, Gartner. Blair Suffredine is BC Liberal MLA for Nelson-Creston. The legislative website says that "Blair, who has practiced law in Nelson since 1975, purchased the firm in 1983 where he practiced before becoming an MLA." With experience like that folks might expect him to share the professions outrage with his government's firing of the Legal Services Society Board and its slashing of the legal aid budget!

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Feb 22, 2002

Board of Legal Services Society Fired

Section 19 of the Legal Services Society Act permits government to put the Legal Services Society into trusteeship if "the appointment is in the public interest and is required to ensure continued and effective delivery of legal aid." On February 22, 2002, the Board was fired and replaced with a trustee. It is hard to believe that cutting the legal aid budget by 40% "ensures continued and effective delivery of legal aid."

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Feb 9, 2002

Heroes - Legal Aid Society

Directors of BC's Legal Services Society are speaking out while the Campbell government attempts to bully its way through with no consultation.

In a detailed news release dated February 7, 2002, the Legal Services Society announced that by "majority vote, the board decided it cannot implement a budget based on the government's hierarchy of services and the severe cuts to LSS funding." From the release it appears that the government gave detailed instructions to the independent Legal Services Society on what should be and what shouldn't be covered.

The status of the Legal Services Society is interesting. It exists by virtue of provincial statute - the Legal Services Society Act. The Act specifies the composition of the Board in such a way that government cannot simply fire and replace the directors. If the government refuses to consult with the Society and reach an agreement on the provision of legal aid, it may find itself amending the legislation and ending the Society's independence.

Since government has announced it intents to repeal or amend the Child, Youth and Family Advocate Act in order to fire the Children's Advocate, threats to the Legal Aid Society should be taken seriously. Where will BC's legal community stand in that conflict?

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Thanks go to the reader who pointed out that government could fire the Board of the Legal Services Society under Section 19 of the Act. If they did that it would be difficult, and certainly not credible, to justify that the firing was necessary to assure the "continued and effective delivery of legal aid". That is what the Board wants to do. The government wants to destroy legal aid.