Two minutes for me is something I can rarely achieve, but anyway....
Now I want to talk about access to justice. This interests me a great deal and it must interest you as well. This is the time when we talk about the budget, and the message that we are getting is that we have to tighten our belts. However, without justice, our society is in trouble. This lack of access can take a number of forms. For instance, the shortage of judges in Alberta and Quebec is overwhelming. The chief justice in my district, in the riding of Gatineau, said there was an expert, a judge from the Superior Court, who could be in charge of jury trials, but he will retire at the end of the year. So there will be no one to take on that task. There are also pressing needs in other districts.
How will we be able to implement all those new bills if the courthouses are burdened with incredible delays? Very smart defence attorneys will claim unreasonable delays.
Do you expect things to change?