Better justice must be part of Quebec’s new northern plan: Quebec bar

The delivery of justice in Nunavik needs improvement, says the Quebec bar, which recently sent a delegation to Puvirnituq, where the court house bears this outdated sign. (PHOTO BY JANE GEORGE)

Quebec’s bar association said more attention must be paid to the delivery of justice in Nunavik and other northern regions of the province because there can be “no economic development without justice.”

Justice in Quebec’s north is “second-class,” said Nicholas Plourde, president the bar association, le Barreau du Québec, in a May 7 news release, issued on the same day that Quebec released the new “Le Nord pour Tous” plan.

“We must remember there can be no economic development in the North without justice,” Plourde said.

The Quebec bar association, which represents 24,500 lawyers, will track the new northern development plan and see whether it improves access to justice and the delivery of legal services, Plourde said.

Plourde, who visited Puvirnituq April 28 to May 2, said he believes these improvements are “necessary and urgent” so people in Nunavik can obtain better access to justice and better understand their fundamental legal rights.

“One of the top priorities is for education about justice. The people of the North have a poor understanding of the functioning of the justice system and the mechanisms which are in place to maintain their rights,” Plourde said.

Plourde and the others from the bar association who visited Puvirnituq say the public’s opinion about traveling court is “not the best.” They also saw communication problems and saw a need for more integration of Inuit culture into the delivery of justice in Nunavik.

The bar association said four urgent issues must be tackled — these include:

• lack of resources given to the traveling court;

• the population explosion which puts pressure on the infrastructure and services;

• problems with access to justice; and,

• shortage of lawyers in the North.