Question Period Note: IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE LEGAL AID

Will the Department of Justice provide additional funding to the provinces experiencing increased immigration and refugee legal aid demand beyond 2019–20?

• Legal aid is a shared responsibility between the provinces and territories and the federal government.
• Justice Canada has provided funding for immigration and refugee legal aid to the six provinces that provide this service since 2002.
• Since 2016–17, Justice Canada has provided additional funding for immigration and refugee legal aid services to meet the increased demand for these services.
• For example, through Budget 2019, the federal government provided $49.6 million in increased funding for three years.
• Justice Canada continues to work closely with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to monitor the volume of refugee claimants, and, with provinces and their legal aid plans, to assess the impact that volumes are having on demand for immigration and refugee legal aid services.

The Legal Aid Program is a cost-shared program that provides contribution funding for legal aid services to provinces and territories with the objective of promoting fair legal proceedings for eligible persons and public confidence in the justice system. Legal aid funding for immigration and refugee matters contributes to a fair and efficient asylum system.

Funding is provided to the six provinces that deliver services in this area: British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Legal Aid Volume Pressures
Canada has experienced an ongoing increase in asylum claimant numbers over the past several years. From January 1 to September 30, 2019, over 46,000 persons made asylum claims in Canada, a 16% increase compared to the same period in 2018. Ontario receives the largest number of asylum claims.

Federal base (ongoing) funding for immigration and refugee legal aid is $11.5 million annually. Annually since 2016-17, immigration and refugee legal aid funding has been increased to address growing demand. Budget 2019 announced an additional $49.6 million over three years, increasing 2019-20 total federal funding to $27.7 million. These funds were part of a $118 billion over five years Budget 2019 investment in asylum system capacity, efficiency and integrity.
In support of the Ontario provincial government’s view that immigration and refugee legal aid is a federal responsibility, Ontario’s 2019 budget halted all provincial funding for immigration and refugee matters. In response, in August 2019, the Prime Minister announced a one-time investment of $26.8 million so that Ontario could resume its services, and to ensure that other provinces experiencing pressures had adequate funding throughout 2019-20. This additional investment increased the total 2019-20 federal contribution to $54.5 million. Additional funding will be required to maintain services beyond 2019-20.

None