'No more money' for lawyers

Justice funding issues:

'No more money' for lawyers:

A-G Threat to expand legal aid boycott has Bentley talking tough

By ANTONELLA ARTUSO,

QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU CHIEF

Last Updated: 27th November 2009, 2:44am

A tough-talking attorney general says he's prepared to take "whatever actions are required" as criminal defence lawyers consider expanding their boycott of legal aid.

Attorney General Chris Bentley would not rule in or out the possibility that the province could go to a public defender model where salaried government lawyers represent clients too poor to pay for a private sector attorney.

"We'll take whatever steps are required," Bentley said yesterday. "We're in a position where we have no more money."

Frank Addario, president of the Criminal Lawyers' Association, said in an e-mail yesterday that he will address the on-going boycott of legal aid at an annual conference today, but would not confirm reports that the campaign will be stepped up.

"We don't want to expand the boycott, we want to solve the problem," he said. "We are motivated to do that."Hundreds of the province's criminal lawyers have been boycotting the legal aid system to force the Ontario government to address what they say is two decades of chronic underfunding."We are reluctant participants in this fight," Addario said. "We spent 22 years working quietly with government to fix the system. That didn't work. I am hopeful that we will find a solution soon."

Bentley said the province has put $150 million on the table but insists there's no more money to be squeezed out of a government that's running a $24.7 billion deficit this year. A 20% increase in funding should be enough to ensure that lawyers are well compensated for their work, he suggested.

"Boy, there's a lot of money there," Bentley said. "You would have thought people would want to see what that would mean for them before taking actions which might force the government to take other steps."I think I'll just leave it at that," he said.
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