Hello and thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for inviting me to appear before the committee today.
I am currently assistant vice-president of equity, diversity, and human rights, at Laurentian University. Between May 2001 and June 2008, I was also executive director of the Court Challenges Program.
I understand you have already received a lot of information about the former program so I will give you my personal views on the program.
The Court Challenges Program was a superb and uniquely Canadian tool designed to make the justice system more accessible to the most vulnerable and underprivileged Canadians. In my opinion and that of many others, the program also strengthened Canadian democracy by allowing the most disadvantaged Canadians to participate in the process of clarifying the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Constitution.
Moreover, it was an inexpensive and very effective tool for government. Between 1994 and 2006, a number of important and influential cases were funded by the program and had a profound and positive impact on Canadian society. I am very pleased that the government has decided to reinstate the program, as set out in the budget.
The excellence of the program was recognized by various UN committees and by Ms. Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, during her visit to Canada. When she visited Winnipeg, in 2003, I believe, she noted that the federal government's support for this program demonstrated its commitment to giving the most disadvantaged members of our society better access to justice.
Those are my comments. I simply wanted to say that this uniquely Canadian program is a necessary and very valuable tool for our society.