Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some more questions for the Minister of Justice. Earlier, I asked about the Legal Aid Outreach clinic and about getting information out to the public.
I see our guests are leaving here. I was worrying they were going to fall asleep. We don't have the sort of action they are used to in their party-based parliaments.
Mr. Speaker, I have some more questions for the Minister of Justice. Not everyone only needs legal information. Some people actually need a lawyer. You know, by having a lawyer, it actually helps the government. I think it helps bring down costs. It will shorten timelines. It will reduce a number of self-represented people in court. I would like to maybe get the Minister's take on this from what he knows about legal aid lawyers. If we increased the number of legal aid lawyers and maybe added another legal aid clinic in the territory, would those lawyers be busy or would they be sitting around, twiddling their thumbs? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a hypothetical question, of course. I am sure they wouldn't be sitting around, twiddling their thumbs. I think they would be working very hard because there are a lot of clients out there who really do need the assistance of lawyers, legal aid or otherwise. The amount of work, I don't think, is likely to decrease. In fact, it is likely to increase. I think if we added more lawyers or clinics, it would be sufficiently busy to justify their salaries. Thank you.
That is what I expected, especially given that, like I said earlier, the number of small-town lawyers across Canada are disappearing. You know, they are retiring. They are finding second careers in politics. I would like to know: would the Minister be open to actually looking into this and seeing if the need is justified and that perhaps we could take concrete steps toward adding an additional legal aid clinic?
I guess I am part of the problem in this area because, as the Member across has mentioned, there is a problem. There were more lawyers, I think, in the smaller towns up here several years ago, active lawyers doing general practice, than there are now. Certainly, I am willing to look at this issue. Of course, adding a clinic or additional lawyers would involve additional expense, so we would have to proceed through the budgetary process. I am aware of the problem and am concerned and willing to look at it.
I appreciate that. The Minister said he would be willing to look into it. I would like a commitment from the Minister. Will the Minister commit to looking into adding an additional legal aid clinic in the South Slave?
Again, of course, there is the budgetary process that we would have to go through. I do recognize the issue and will make the commitment to look into it.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that commitment by the Minister. Let's go one step further. Will the Minister commit to looking into the viability of the Legal Aid Outreach clinic in the South Slave and an additional Legal Aid Outreach clinic lawyer in the South Slave?
This might be an issue that the transition committee might look into because I don't think anything could be done in the very near future. Certainly, I am willing to look into this issue. Again, as I have said numerous times before, increase in cost would have to go through the budgetary process, but I am willing to look seriously at this issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
