Boost legal aid, lawyers urge feds

The Canadian Bar Association is calling on the federal government to boost funding for legal aid in the next federal budget.

The CBA, a national association of lawyers, also wants that federal money to be tied to the amount being spent by each provincial or territorial government.

Legal aid is an especially important service in Nunavut because of a “presumed eligibility” policy. That is, anyone in Nunavut who is charged with an offence is automatically entitled to free service from the Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik legal aid clinic.