Legal Aid moves to protect Public Interest Law Centre’s provincial funding
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/09/2020 (1904 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
An arm’s-length advocacy centre that often takes on government agencies in court should remain a part of the provincially funded legal aid program, Legal Aid Manitoba management decided this week.
The future of the Public Interest Law Centre was the focus of a Tuesday meeting of the Legal Aid Manitoba management council, which heard overwhelming support for PILC from dozens of community groups.
Although its chairman wouldn’t disclose the outcome of the meeting, multiple sources told the Free Press the council unanimously passed a motion that recommended keeping PILC within Legal Aid.
The recommendation is contrary to the updated mandate letter given to Tory Justice Minister Cliff Cullen in March, directing him to find alternative funding arrangements for PILC “to secure its independence from government.”
The mandate letter followed a government-commissioned review of Legal Aid Manitoba that recommended PILC become a “free-standing organization” over time, suggesting the centre could gain more private endowments if it became a non-profit that didn’t accept provincial funding.
The recommendation is contrary to the updated mandate letter given to Tory Justice Minister Cliff Cullen in March, directing him to find alternative funding arrangements for PILC “to secure its independence from government.”
Tuesday’s motion came after the management council heard from three local agencies that have benefitted from Public Interest Law Centre efforts, including those represented in human rights cases that led to legal change. The Consumers’ Association of Canada, Cerebral Palsy Association of Manitoba, and Social Planning Council of Winnipeg gave virtual presentations, and more than 40 local organizations and individuals sent dozens of letters expressing support for maintaining PILC’s public funding.
Kate Kehler, executive director of the Social Planning Council, said the organization wants more government funding for PILC, not less, and to have provincial law require public support for the centre.
“What exactly is this government trying to fix now by moving it out? Why was it of interest to them at this particular time?” Kehler said Wednesday.
The Free Press asked the justice minister’s office what the government’s plans are for the Public Interest Law Centre, but didn’t receive a response Wednesday.
“We’re not disclosing the outcome of the meeting at this point, because the council has got to review the minutes to confirm the accuracy of the decision.” – Allan Fineblit
NDP MLA Nahanni Fontaine, justice critic for the Opposition, voiced her support Wednesday for PILC’s “critical” work, and said the NDP doesn’t want it privatized.
Tuesday’s meeting was set to discuss the future of PILC, after the government asked the management council for its advice on recommendations stemming from Allan Fineblit’s review of Legal Aid Manitoba.
The Winnipeg-based lawyer is now chairman of the management council. Though he wouldn’t discuss the outcome of the meeting, Fineblit said Wednesday he doesn’t get a vote as chairman — and his personal opinion on the matter has “evolved.”
“We’re not disclosing the outcome of the meeting at this point, because the council has got to review the minutes to confirm the accuracy of the decision,” Fineblit said. “Our goal in whatever we’re going to do is to create the best possible chance for success of the Public Interest Law Centre.”
Fineblit said it’s not unusual for governments to take an interest in PILC, no matter who is in power. Such tension has existed since PILC’s inception in 1982, he said.
“It’s an obvious challenge for government when some of the things that are important to them are being challenged by an agency which they fund.”
PILC has taken on several high-profile constitutional challenges, including advocating for changes to Manitoba laws to stop the discrimination of marginalized groups, including same-sex parents and people with disabilities. It receives, on average, $250,000 to $350,000 a year in government funding.
dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
katie.may@freepress.mb.ca
Born and raised in and around Toronto, Dan Lett came to Winnipeg in 1986, less than a year out of journalism school with a lifelong dream to be a newspaper reporter.
Katie May is a multimedia producer for the Free Press.
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