It will take a healthy dose of political will, huge investments and nearly a generation for the Quebec government to implement the wide-ranging recommendations an inquiry that examined treatment of Indigenous people made to the province’s justice and correctional systems, according to legal experts.
More than 40 per cent of Quebec lawyers suffer from psychological distress, with young lawyers with less than 10 years of experience more prone to experiencing mental health issues.
A lawsuit by the Quebec and Montreal Bars to compel the Quebec government to implement measures to ensure the legal equivalence of the French and English-language versions of Quebec statutes was quietly settled out of court.
The Quebec government increased legal aid eligibility thresholds by 6.67 per cent, but that’s not good enough, asserts to the Quebec Bar.
Days after being rebuffed by its members, the Barreau du Québec is seemingly backing down from a controversial suit against the Quebec government that challenges the legality of the province’s laws, regulations and decrees because they were drafted and adopted in French only.
A special general meeting of members of the Barreau du Québec called on the professional corporation to cease a court action it launched recently that challenged the legality of the province’s laws, regulations and decrees because they were drafted and adopted in French only.
A Montreal lawyer disbarred for 10 years for misappropriation.
More than $1.4 billion has been set aside by the Quebec government in its latest budget to modernize the justice system, its courthouses and detention centres, a move that has elated a relieved Quebec legal community.
Why it matters: “It’s a major step forward for justice in the province. We were stuck in the 1970s. Now with the new investments, hopefully we will get it right and hopefully we can get to something that is paperless.”
The challenge: The Quebec government does not have a good track record investing wisely in hightech projets.
The Quebec Bar and the Quebec Ombudsman wants to make it easier for alleged victims of sexual assault to gain access to the legal system and are calling on the provincial government to follow in the footsteps of the overwhelming majority of Canadian provinces and eliminate the prescription period for civil actions in cases of sexual assault.
Why it matters: “It is necessary to make restorative justice accessible which means ensuring that victims of sexual assault can exercise their rights in all confidence and liberty and in the simplest manner possible.”
The fallout from the arrest of a well-respected former high-profile officer by Quebec’s anti-corruption squad continues unabated.
Questions linger more than a week after the bombshell that has been described as an “unprecedented attempt at intimidation.” Quebec Premier admitted that “we are faced with many more questions and answers of course and that includes me…It’s not trivial. We haven’t seen this very often. An elected parliamentarian being arrested without any true motives being been given.”
The Young Bar of Montreal will provide free legal advice by telephone this weekend. Volunteer lawyers and notaries will be available to answer questions on a wide range of subjects, from consumer to family law to labour to the management of estates.
People can call the hotline at 1 844-779-6232 on Saturday, October 14th and Sunday, October 15th from 9:00 to 16:30.
“The Clinic is an efficient and accessible service for all that allows us to respond to the growing needs of the community when it comes to justice,” said Sophia Rossi, president of the Young Bar of Montreal, adding that she hopes to offer this service more frequently. The Bar has 5,000 members, composed of lawyers with ten years and less of practice.
The 29th edition of the “Legal Helpline” is an initiative conducted in partnership with the Barreau du Québec and the Centre d’accès à l’information Juridique (CAIJ).
“The activity, which is very much appreciated by our fellow Quebeckers, provides access to justice and, year after year, has proven to be an event not to be missed,” said Paul-Matthieu Grondin, president of the Québec Bar.