Mr. Speaker, on February 6, I brought to the attention of the House the fact that courts in the Restigouche region were overloaded.
Let me give a brief historical overview of this issue. In 1992, the number of judges sitting in Campbellton dropped from two to one. A few months later, the only judge serving the region was transferred to the judicial district of Fredericton.
While waiting for a replacement, the region of Campbellton was without a permanent judge for about three months. The ensuing backlog would probably not have been insurmountable, except that the court registered an increase in the volume of cases, including family law cases.
The judge who is currently sitting is making superhuman efforts to hear as many cases as possible, but it is now obvious that his valiant efforts are not enough to ensure quick processing of the cases. Not a single small claims case has been heard for a year now, and some civil cases will not be heard before 1999.
Some members may think this is a provincial matter. Normally, I would agree. However, there have been a number of developments in which politics clearly impeded the judicial process.
The new chief justice in New Brunswick did everything within his power to find a solution to the court's backlog. Now, the bar association in Restigouche, the crown attorney's office, the chief justice of New Brunswick and the New Brunswick bar association all agree on the solution: Campbellton needs an additional judge. The two levels of government are the only ones dragging their feet.
When I raised the issue in the House, the solicitor general—the Minister of Justice was not present—said that the federal government was aware of the situation. If so, what is it waiting for to act?
We were told by the federal Department of Justice that nothing can be done until a written request is received from the provincial government.
Meanwhile, the New Brunswick justice department tells us that the request was made and that they are waiting for a reply from the federal government.
It is my hope that the provincial and federal governments will quit passing the buck on this and will finally accept their responsibilities, so that access to justice will no longer be jeopardized in the region.
The government's inaction impacts very heavily on the human level. Mothers can wait up to eight or nine months for a support order to allow them to feed their children properly.
Since small claims court cases have not been heard for a year, business owners really have no recourse when they have been wronged. I have also heard of accident victims who have had to go on welfare while waiting for their cases to come up.
This situation cannot continue. The people feel there is no longer any justice for them, and it would seem, unfortunately, that they are right.