Canada faces a significant access to justice crisis. Formal justice institutions like courts are often inaccessible due to high costs, long delays, and complex procedures. Informal justice options and legal aid are also limited. This leaves many Canadians unable to effectively seek remedies to legal issues. As a result, vulnerable groups face further marginalization, and legal problems can snowball without resolution. Experts recommend reforms that focus on preventative public legal education, informal dispute resolution, and increased funding for legal aid to help address Canada's access to justice gaps.

2. Canada’s A2J Crisis

3. What is Access to Justice?
The ability of people to seek and obtain a remedy
through formal or informal Justice institutions, in
conformity with Human Rights Standards ( United
Nation’s Development Program).

4. Formal Justice Institutions
Courts, Police, Prosecution, Custodial Measures

5. Informal Justice Institutions
Restorative Justice, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mediation

6. Why is A2J Important
The Courts are the Balance of Power in Canada
No A2J = No meaningful rule of law
There is no rule of law if the law is not applied to
situations.

7. Barriers To Justice in Canada
Costs
Delays
Long Trials
Complex Procedures
Lack of Basic Legal Literacy among the Public.
Lack of preventative policy

8. Canadian A2J Stats
The World Justice Project ranks Canada as 14th of 25
North American and Western European countries in
terms of A2J for civil issues.
In Legal Aid for Civil Justice, Canada ranks 54th in the
world, falling behind many countries with far lower
income per capita.
Nearly 12 million Canadians will experience 1 legal
problem in a 3 year period, few with the resources to
resolve them.

9. Results of A2J lack
Health, Social and Economic Costs.
 “Snowball effect” for legal issues.
Further marginalization (imprisonment and
conviction) of vulnerable groups, most noted First
Nations, Metis and Inuit people.

10. Result of Lack of
Representation
In some family courts across Canada ¾ of people are
going unrepresented.
50% of litigants self-represent.
People with counsel are between 17 and 1380% more
likely to get better results with counsel than if they
self-represent.

11. The Criminal System
A lack of access to Justice and representation leaves
many people in dire situations.

12. Right to Legal Advice
For many accused, having a lawyer is the difference
between a conviction and an acquittal.
Federal contribution for criminal legal aid has been
reduced from covering 50% of the costs in 1995 to
25% of the costs today.
Legal Aid programs offer little if any help to convicted
offenders and lawyers report that they have difficulty
reaching clients once they are incarcerated.

13. Criminal Justice System
Our system continues to rely on punishment and
incarceration paradigms at the expense of
Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Crime Prevention
programs.
First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples are hardest hit
at every stage of the criminal justice process.

14. How can we fix this?
We can only fix these issues from the ground up.
Citizens must become engaged and active in pushing
their government representatives to provide more
funding for Legal Aid and overall legal reform.
Reform of the Justice system so that it is accessible to
everyone.

16. Justice Reform
Focus on building informal legal institutions and
systems that provide early management of issues and
prevents disputes.
Preventative Public Legal Education.
Focus on everyday legal problems.

17. Resources
If you want to learn more about A2J, you can take a look
at the following:
Canadian Forum on Civil Justice http://www.cfcj-
fcjc.org/a2jblog
Read Cromwell J.’s report on A2J (civil and family)
http://www.cfcj-
fcjc.org/sites/default/files/docs/2013/AC_Report_English
_Final.pdf
Check out the Canadian Bar Association’s Access to Justice
Projects: http://www.cba.org/CBA/Access/main/