Albertans who find themselves on the wrong end of the justice system without the means to pay for a lawyer will be able to access Legal Aid Alberta’s (LAA) services for the next five years, thanks to an agreement between the province, Law Society of Alberta, and LAA.
In a Sept. 4 press release, the province announced it had reached an agreement with the two parties — which had deadlocked earlier this year over funding — that would pay for lawyers working on Legal Aid’s certificates to represent people at risk of jail time, among other matters.
“The provision of legal aid services in Alberta is a shared commitment, and one that all the groups involved take very seriously,” said Micky Amery, Minister of Justice and Alberta’s Attorney General. “Our goal is to ensure the sustainability and fiscal accountability of legal aid for all Albertans now and into the future, and this new agreement puts us on the right track.”
The provincial government said it remained committed to the continuity of legal aid services and funding as it worked with its partners in the future.
LAA and the ministry have been negotiating this agreement since early July, when Amery called the funding level “unsustainable” and put forward a proposal that, among other changes, would have removed the Law Society of Alberta as a signatory in the agreement.
The new agreement, which will grant LAA $110 million in 2024-25, includes provisions for ongoing consultations between the three parties, as well as other justice system partners.
As a signatory to the governance agreement, the Law Society is pleased that a long-term arrangement is in place so that Legal Aid Alberta is funded to carry on its vital work in helping vulnerable Albertans.
"A strong justice system is supported by an equally strong and independent legal aid program,” said Deanna Steblyk, president of the Law Society of Alberta. “This agreement upholds that principle, and we look forward to continued collaboration on this important work.”
“Legal rights are democratic rights”
After the previous funding agreement expired on June 30, Ryan Callioux, LAA’s board chair, had announced a July 9 cessation of certificates, meaning requests for representation after that date wouldn’t have been filled. At the time, he said the unilateral nature of Amery’s proposal was untenable for the organization and would have eroded the organization’s independence.
After the announcement from Legal Aid, the province agreed to extend the expired agreement until a new one could be put in place.
“Access to justice is a fundamental right for all Albertans,” said Callioux in the Sept. 4 release. “Key to this is an independent legal aid system and this agreement specifically codifies these values. We continue to respect that the Government of Alberta has a critical role to ensure fiscal responsibility.”
According to its publicly available year end reports, LAA issued 59,599 certificates in 2023-24. The St. Paul location is one of the largest recipients outside of Alberta’s two major cities, with 3,221 certificates issued last year.
LAA received $110 million in provincial funding in 2023-24.
