Ontario’s cuts to legal aid for refugees: Racist, xenophobic and possibly unconstitutional

Document Type

Editorial

Publication Date

4-17-2019

Abstract

The recent Ontario budget included a 30 per cent cut to legal aid. This will cause hardship for many low-income residents of Ontario, who are disproportionately drawn from racialized communities.

Refugees are among those who will suffer the most. The announced cuts include a prohibition on using provincial money for legal aid for refugee claimants. Legal Aid Ontario has responded by immediately suspending all funding for lawyers to take on new immigration and refugee matters, other than preparing forms for refugee applications.

Publication Title

National Post

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