BC Chief Justice Finch lauds Doust Commission and APB in retirement speech
On June 6, 2013, over 1100 judges, lawyers and justice system stakeholders celebrated the eminent career of British Columbia's Chief Justice Lance Finch at his Retirement Dinner in Vancouver.
The Retirement Dinner featured such speakers as Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin, retired Supreme Court of Canada Justice Frank Iacobucci, and incoming British Columbia Chief Justice Robert Bauman.
In his closing remarks, Finch identified two initiatives as the "most important" undertaken by British Columbia's legal profession during his tenure as Chief Justice: (i) the 2010/11 Public Commission on Legal Aid chaired by Leonard Doust, QC; and (ii) the Access Pro Bono Society of British Columbia.
Finch stated:
"The Public Commission on Legal Aid, chaired by Len Doust, Q.C. was launched in 2010. It produced an excellent report in March 2011 which included nine specific recommendations as to how legal aid in this province could be improved. The most important of those recommendations was to amend the Legal Services Society Act to recognize legal aid as an essential public service, and the entitlement to legal aid where an individual has legal problems that put into jeopardy their or their family’s security - whether liberty, health, employment, housing or ability to meet basic necessities of life. This was a thorough, evidence-based study and the resulting recommendations are well-founded in the research that Mr. Doust undertook. It should be a matter of concern to all of us that some two years later none of these recommendations has been acted upon by the other branches of government.
By contrast, the profession itself has made significant advances in the area of providing pro bono services to those in need. Every year in British Columbia hundreds of lawyers undertake legal work for no fee whatever, providing millions of dollars of legal services to those who would otherwise not be able to afford them. I am very proud of the profession’s efforts in this behalf, and I applaud not only the Access Pro Bono Society for facilitating this work, but every lawyer and law firm who has so generously given of their time and expertise to assist those in need."