A working group of the CBA Access to Justice Committee and the Association of Legal Aid Plans of Canada is conducting consultations on what can be done to improve the legal aid system in Canada. Setting out national legal aid benchmarks is an effective way to encourage discussion about core expectations and articulate a concrete common view, based on measurable steps and best practices for building an effective and fair national system, the working group says.
In June, they sent a consultation paper and survey to engaged stakeholders asking for input, and the deadline for input has now been extended to October 30 2015. That is Phase 1, and Phase II starts in the fall. The working group encourages all people interested in legal aid to contribute their views and help engage others, including members of the public, to participate in these discussions. The working group will post a consultation kit with ideas for this engagement. With the benefit of the views shared during these consultations, proposed national legal aid benchmarks will then be broadly circulated by the end of 2015.