EDMONTON – The dispute between the Government of Alberta and Legal Aid jeopardizes hundreds of jobs and essential services that thousands of Albertans depend on, says the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE).
The government’s decision is a detriment to the Albertans who rely on Legal Aid and the staff who provide these services. To add insult to injury, AUPE members learned of this decision through the media, not through the government or their employer.
For those working for Legal Aid, the priority is maintaining their livelihoods and supporting their clients.
“AUPE members and all staff working for Legal Aid provide a vital public service,” says AUPE Vice-President Bobby-Joe Borodey. “If Legal Aid ceases operations, vulnerable Albertans such as our seniors, the underemployed and unemployed will suffer as a direct result of the Government of Alberta’s poor decisions."
Without Legal Aid and the services it provides, justice in Alberta would become a system based on class, with one set of rules for those who have money and a different set for those who don’t.
Borodey is also concerned about the broader implications of this dispute, including massive court delays and the ongoing trend of the government exercising authoritarian control over arms-length organizations.
“The government must reverse course,” she says. “We must maintain good working conditions and reliable services, that’s true for Legal Aid and the rest of the province’s boards and agencies.”
AUPE is western Canada’s largest union. Approximately 70 AUPE members work for Legal Aid.
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Vice-President Borodey is available for interviews.
Please contact Alexander Delorme, Communications Officer: a.delorme@aupe.org or 780-264-9274