PRESS RELEASE

RE: Legal Aid Alberta Underfunding & Roster Lawyer Job Action

NILSA condemns the current state of Legal Aid Alberta government funding and stands behind
the Criminal Defence Lawyers Association (“CDLA”), Criminal Trial Lawyers Association
(“CTLA”), and the Southern Alberta Defence Lawyers’ Association (“SADLA”) in calling on
Minister Shandro and the UCP to immediately address the funding neglect of Legal Aid Alberta.

Legal Aid Alberta roster lawyers provide an essential public service to all of Canada. This is
especially true when considering the systemic injustices that marginalized communities continue
to face. With this in mind, it is clear that the current payment structure does not accurately
reflect the amount of work required to maintain these files. Alberta roster lawyers are among the
lowest paid in the country. In turn, only those living below the poverty line in Alberta qualify for
government-appointed defence counsel.

NILSA has expressed its concerns about the ongoing and impending roster lawyer job action to
the CDLA, CTLA, and SADLA executives. Black, Indigenous, and otherwise racialized
communities are disproportionately represented within Alberta’s (and Canada’s) criminal justice
system. If this job action continues, the life, liberty, and security of society’s most vulnerable
individuals is at stake.

NILSA wishes to echo the sentiment recently expressed in Legal Aid Alberta’s recent press
release: “We are at a pivotal moment when decisions about the future of legal aid are tough but
necessary.” NILSA urges the Minister Shandro and the UCP government to immediately
address the issue of Legal Aid Alberta underfunding. If the funding situation does not improve
quickly, we risk the provincial legal system falling into a state of crisis.

Sincerely,
The National Indigenous Law Students’ Association (NILSA)