Comments made recently by the country’s top judge about the Canadian justice system have been echoed in a report released by the MacDonald-Laurier Institute, which concluded that it is slow, inefficient and expensive.
Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin has recently spoken out about the cost of accessing the justice system, the low level of funding for legal aid, and unecessary delays.
“If people are excluded from the system, if they conclude it exists only to serve the interests of the elites, people will turn away,” says McLachlin.
Respect for the rule of law will diminish and our society will be the poorer.”
Spending on legal aid, according to the report, is lowest in New Brunswick, PEI and the Northwest Territories. When it comes to efficiency, PEI, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut received an A grade while Ontario and Manitoba each received C grades in that area.
For more information on the report, click here.
