Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
The Canadian Bar Association appreciates the opportunity to comment on access to the justice system and legal aid, which is closely related to our mission.
The Canadian Bar Association is a national association representing 36,000 jurists across Canada. Among the association's primary objectives are to improve the law and the administration of justice, and it's in that context that we've provided our submission to you.
I'm appearing with Doug Ferguson, who is a member of our access to justice committee. He is also the director of the community legal services clinic at Western's law department.
I'll turn now to Doug Ferguson to address the substance of our submission to you.