BarTalk April 2001
Volume 13, Number 2

Premier Ujjal Dosanjh - The NDP Response

How do you see the justice system in relation to your plans for the future of British Columbia?

I have set out my priorities of investing in our quality of life:

• strong public health care for everyone who needs care;

• high quality education for our children;

• access to post secondary education for all children regardless of whether they come from an ordinary family or a more privileged background;

• clean healthy environment;

• a sex offender registry to aid in the fight to protect our communities;

• negotiating fair and just settlements of aboriginal land claims; and

• social and economic justice.

A strong, vibrant and independent justice system is a key part of our social fabric.

That is why I have rejected dramatic tax cuts at this time, choosing instead to balance the budget and make the necessary investments in our quality of life.

We must avoid endless litigation and confrontation with aboriginal communities. We need to accelerate treaty settlements.

We know that the justice system has been under stress, but as many economists predict further tax cuts will only reduce the revenues and resources needed to maintain the system. We need to do more, not invest less. We must continue to bring the federal government to the table to provide fair and adequate funding for legal aid, and continue to protect the priorities for our justice system that I have fought for as Attorney General, and continue to do so as Premier.

What will your government do to ensure access to justice for everyone, regardless of wealth or privilege?

Access to justice is a cornerstone of our democratic society, and a principle my government is fully committed to protecting.

We recognize the importance of legal aid in providing fair and equal access. BC spends more per capita on legal aid than any other province. This year, we are increasing the annual grant for legal aid by over 8 per cent. Increasing the grant represents an ongoing, long-term commitment to legal aid in this province.

Although legal aid is a vital component, it is not the only component to ensure access to justice. This government is committed to developing and introducing other programs and services to promote access to justice.

As part of our comprehensive reforms to the justice system, we are offering more effective, less confrontational ways of resolving family disputes. One example is parent education programs.

We are also introducing non-adversarial alternatives for civil law matters, such as the Notice to Mediate process. At the same time, we continue to introduce reforms to the criminal justice stream.

What are the top three things lawyers should keep in mind when voting?

Lawyers, like all British Columbians, should consider the challenges that face us, and the priorities we must act upon to meet those challenges.

Our quality of life in British Columbia is our competitive advantage. It is why I came to live here, and the reason that so many people immigrate and invest in our province.

The coming election is about choices. Will we continue to build a high quality health care system that is there when we need it? Will we invest in education, creating opportunities for young people to get an advanced education that is available to all, and is second to none? Will we protect our environment for us and our children? Will we move forward to settle long standing aboriginal claims? Or will we risk these essential elements that create our quality of life for an agenda that is narrowly focussed on dramatic tax cuts?

My priorities are clear. I am committed to the priorities of today’s families; health care for the sick and education for the young, ahead of tax cuts for the few. I’m putting first things first.

Over the past year, we have put our fiscal house in order. The deficit has been eliminated, we will have a significant surplus this year, and a balanced budget next year. We are restoring our public health care system that suffered through federal government funding cuts. We are producing a skilled workforce by expanding post secondary education and decreasing the cost of tuition.

I am committed to maintaining our competitive advantage by preserving our quality of life.

This article was published in the April 2001 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.