Pubdate: Thu, 31 Aug 2017
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2017 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Geordon Omand
Page: S2

LAW GROUPS CALL ON NDP TO REFORM JUSTICE SYSTEM

A coalition of legal advocacy groups in British Columbia is pushing to
make sure justice reform is top of mind as the new NDP government
heads into its first legislative session early next month.

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association, Pivot Legal Society, West Coast
LEAF and the Community Legal Assistance Society banded together on
Wednesday to call for sweeping changes to the province's justice system.

Recommendations include abolishing solitary confinement, protecting
tenants from unfair rent hikes and stopping the arrest of
harm-reduction workers or people in possession of small amounts of
drugs.

"We felt that it was important to come together as diverse
organizations doing different work in the justice sector to remind the
B.C. government and the public of these priorities," said Josh
Paterson, head of the civil liberties association.

"The government has a lot of work ahead of it, in a lot of different
fields, and we need to make sure that the justice sector is not forgotten."

The BC NDP will present a throne speech on Sept. 8 that lays out their
priorities for the legislative session, expected to run until the end
of November.

Kasari Govender, executive director of West Coast LEAF, said restoring
public funding for legal aid is the most pressing concern for the
advocacy coalition.

"We can have the most progressive laws on the books, but all of that
is meaningless unless we have access," she said.

Other recommendations that were made include addressing the
overrepresentation of Indigenous men and women in provincial jails,
bolstering independent bodies that investigate police misconduct and
reform of access-to-information laws.

Mr. Paterson said he was heartened after meeting earlier this week to
discuss the coalition's recommendations with Attorney-General David
Eby.

Mr. Eby said the concerns addressed through the recommendations
reflect a more widespread view held by those who come into contact
with the justice system that considerable reform is needed.

"Certainly, the depth and breadth of their recommendations reflects
the amount of work that has to be done," Mr. Eby said in an interview.

The government is already working on some of the issues raised in the
report, he added, such as improving legal aid, reforming family law,
tackling addiction issues and addressing the overrepresentation of
Indigenous people in B.C. Corrections.
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