Dear Santa,
We know how busy you are, so we thought that one letter from the diverse collective of friends and supporters of the NSRLP would save you some time this season, since ultimately we all wish for the same outcome – better access to justice in Canada.
Here is our Wish List.
- My wish for Access for Justice in Canada this holiday season is that every lawyer in Canada commit to assisting at least one SRL over the holiday season with unbundled legal services at an affordable hourly rate – and that they enjoy working with a SRL so much that they make this a permanent part of their practice going forward into 2015.
Julie Macfarlane, Project Director, NSLRP
- Dear Santa, I pray for blessings for the good hearted people who continue to advocate for SRLs. Please infuse them with an abundance of energy, goodwill and patience.
Dom Bautista, Law Courts Center
- For Christmas, I would love to make an impact in Access to Justice as a future Legal Practitioner without having to worry about paying back my increasingly large student loans from law school. The latter holds me back from being able to contribute as much as I can to the former.
Law Student, Windsor
- Santa, I wish for law school instruction not to inculcate adversarial behaviour over common law principles (“procedural fairness” anyone? “ethics”?)
Nic Robinson, SRL, member, local Legal Aid Area Committee, Kingston
- Santa, I wish for not only access to Justice, also that the children are more fairly represented especially when there is a manipulative parent involved. There is always one parent who suffers and the children even more so. Children love both parents and they shouldn’t have to choose.
I know I am asking for a lot. But thank you
Mary-Ann Norgen, Family Justice Centre, Prince George
- My wish list for this Christmas is to have the Attorney General for Canada, and each province and territory, commit to a unified formal A2J development protocol, premised on:
- Evidence-based data relating to justice delivery in family law;
- A complete environmental scan of justice delivery options from around the world;
iii. Structured discussion and input with stakeholders – judges, lawyers, administration and public – including past litigants (represented and unrepresented) – regarding their frustrations, positive experiences, and ideas for change – with the greatest input coming from lawyers in the trenches and clients and SRL’s who have “been there”;
- A commitment to spend the money necessary to fix the broken system – and to lead, not follow, the public discourse on the subject – including recognizing the need to prevent the brutal damage being visited upon children, and ultimately, upon society by failing to provide a better resolution to high conflict divorce;
Is there enough magic in the North Pole to make this happen?
There’s extra milk and cookies under tree if you can make it so!
Rob Harvie, family lawyer, Lethbridge
- Santa, please share a hot rum toddy with those who are considered the Pillars of our Society. Discuss with them badly required improvements to both rules and process. Remind them of their oaths of office, and the privileged role they are dedicated to uphold.
Santa, you are the closest thing we humans have to a God on Earth. I feel I can trust in you! Please do what you can.
Little Johnny Doe (SRL)
- Santa, please send me some pitchers of milk and a very large plate of cookies for Christmas. I am asking for milk and cookies because everyone sits down together to talk and share ideas together when milk and cookies are on the table, and my wish is for all the stakeholders in the justice system – including the public and SRLs – to sit down and talk about how we work together to advance Access to Justice in Canada.
Sue Rice, Project Manager, NSLRP
Safe travels Santa!