The New Brunswick government and the union representing Crown prosecutors have reached a tentative agreement.
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada represents about 115 Crown prosecutors
Both sides have agreed to withhold details until the agreement has been ratified, the province said in a news release on Wednesday.
New Brunswick Crown prosecutors and family Crown counsel voted in favour of strike action earlier this year.
The vote came amid what the New Brunswick Crown Prosecutors Association described as a recruitment and retention crisis.
“The current crisis that we’re experiencing on retention and recruitment, especially retention of senior lawyers, has a direct impact on public safety,” Vice-President Yves Duguay said in an interview in May.
Last year, the province announced plans to hire 30 more prosecutors for criminal cases, bringing the total to around 90.
However, according to Duguay, more than 20 positions were still vacant throughout the province, many in the Moncton region.
Duguay, who is a Crown prosecutor in northern New Brunswick, said they do not have enough prosecutors or supports to do their jobs.
“If we are in a situation that we can’t meet our obligations because of the crushing workload that we’re experiencing, that’s an urgent need that needs to be addressed,” he said.
Duguay said despite the strike vote, they were still committed to reaching an agreement with the province.
