CANADIAN BAR ASSOCIATION CALLS FOR CHANGE

This article was in the Waterloo Region Record on August 14/12. The title was "Lawyers warn reforms will strain legal system". Federal Justice Minister, Rob Nicholson, has essentially turned down the request for greater legal aid funding for lawyers and the accused. The Record states "Members of the association's national council maintain federal tough-on-crime legislation will mean more trials and more jail time for more accused in an already strained system. The council passed a resolution over the weekend urging Ottawa for the review.". Dan MacRury of the Bar Association further added "It's clear that the new laws are going to put an increased demand on all the players in the criminal justice system". He suggested that federal monetary increases have gone into police forces and the building of jails.

There certainly is money available to the justice system. Just look at that nearly finished monstousity in downtown Kitchener. I drive by it occasionally and all I can think is the millions of taxpayer dollars going into buildings and infrastructure. Those do not guarantee justice. Never have and never will. People can improve justice if they aren't grossly outnumbered by those more into self-interest. The older I get the more I see how human institutions become overun with the latter. Public accountability is an anachronism to be given lip service only to.