Just speaking from my own experience, it's a significant access to justice issue, at least in my area. In southwest Nova Scotia but throughout most of Nova Scotia, not just rural towns but in the city, we see so many self-reps nowadays. I think if that was permitted without the amendment to allow the law students or articling students to appear, it would create many more problems, or it would enhance or increase the problems we're dealing with here with respect to access to justice. It's a buzzword here in Nova Scotia. It's a buzzword across Canada. We've all heard the former Chief Justice McLachlin speaking about access to justice. I don't think we want to do anything to deter that.
I know one of the big concerns, of course, is the experience and the lack of experience of law students and articling clerks, but they're monitored by both the law society and their principals, and I fully support their being able to appear in limited circumstances.