Mr. Hehr: Mr. Speaker, when this government had a choice to make between scaling back services for the rich or taking away services from the poor, even the least sophisticated observer was able to predict the outcome. 

In order to save approximately $5 million, Legal Aid Alberta is predicting that more than 6,000 people will be turned away this year. Will the minister confirm this? Are 6,000 or more economically disadvantaged Albertans going to be denied legal assistance by your pilot project?

The Speaker: The hon. minister.

Ms Redford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely not. Legal Aid and the government of Alberta almost two years ago decided that it was time to consider whether or not the traditional model for delivering legal aid in this province was really serving the interests of people that needed legal services but couldn’t afford them. We decided that we wanted to launch pilot projects not to completely transform the system immediately but to see whether or not it might be possible to put a system in place where we could provide different levels of legal advice and legal support to people depending on what they needed when they came in contact with the legal system.

Mr. Hehr: Well, Mr. Speaker, given that the hon. member’s limits for an individual to receive legal assistance have now been dropped by $6,000, how are these people now supposed to get this legal service if they’re not eligible to get the service?

The Speaker: The hon. minister.

Ms Redford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that’s exactly the point. What we’ve done this year in conjunction with the Legal Aid board is that we’ve developed a system where we’re going to support public defender positions, legal aid clinics, enhanced support to law information centres, and two pilot projects around the province which will allow people who need to access a lawyer to come to a clinic to get advice and then to decide how they want to pursue their rights. Now, if they do decide that they want to pursue their rights, then they will fall into the traditional legal aid system, will be able to get a certificate and have legal advice provided.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Mr. Hehr: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given what I said before, that roughly 6,000 Albertans will no longer be eligible to even qualify under legal aid, where are these people now supposed to go to get legal services?

Ms Redford: Mr. Speaker, it’s not the case that they won’t be able to qualify. It’s the case that they will not be able immediately to obtain a certificate because Legal Aid and the government of Alberta have decided in consultation with stakeholders that in some cases people are better served by receiving legal advice and general directional information through courts. The law information centres in Alberta, which were established two years ago, have served over 150,000 people in the past 12 months alone, people that needed legal information, legal direction, and access to a lawyer.

Alberta Hansard, April 13, 2010

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