TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO:
WHEREAS the Government of Ontario has cut the funding for Legal Aid Ontario by almost one third;
WHEREAS provincial funding for the immigration and refugee law program at Legal Aid Ontario has been completely cut;
WHEREAS access to Legal Aid is essential to low-income Ontarians who are facing legal proceedings such as in immigration, criminal, family, mental health, poverty law and child protection cases;
WHEREAS vulnerable populations like refugees will be left to represent themselves in a complex and already overburdened legal system, where a negative decision leads to deportation to countries where lives may be at risk;
WHEREAS the cuts will lead to backlogs and delays throughout the justice system, causing chaos in the courts and costing taxpayers more, not less;
WE THE UNDERSIGNED petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to: reverse the cuts to Legal Aid Ontario that have already begun to impact the most vulnerable people in Ontario, including immigrants and refugees.