Que. justice system labour unrest escalates

Quebec's striking lawyers say they expect thegovernment will try to force them back to work as labour unrest slows thelegal system to a crawl.

A strike by the provincial government's 1,500 lawyers and Crown prosecutorsis now inits second week, and prosecutors say there are fears the government has already drafted back-to-work legislation.

On Tuesday, the union saidthe government might be preparing to tableabillthis week, and lawyers could be forced back to work as early as Friday.

"The damageswill be considerable and the victims [of crime] will ultimately pay the price," said Christian Leblanc, spokesman for the Crown lawyers union.

Justice Minister Jean-Marc Fournier said the government's contract offer is fair and substantial,but discussion of back-to-work legislation would suggest there's no hope of a negotiated settlement.

He said this isn't the case yet, however.

Prison guards add to labour strife

Quebec's increasingly paralyzed legal system was hit with another setback Tuesday when prison guards applied pressure to get lagging contract talks moving.

Their job action deepened delays caused bythe Crown prosecutors' strike.

Courthouses were especially quiet as the guards, responsible for ferrying inmates back and forth from prison, started work an hour earlier. The result was a biggerbacklog.

Constables in charge of courthouse security continued patrolling the near-empty buildings wearing jeans and military-style cargo pants. They have been sporting the protest wear for the last two years, while working under an expired labour contract.

The 2,300 guards are asking for a raise to bring theirwages closer to those in other Canadian provinces. They also want better work schedules.

"We know we're not going to get everything we're asking for, but the gap between us and other provinces is quite considerable," said Stephane Lemaire, president of the prison guards union.

'40 per cent less'

The strikinglawyers say they, too, are paid less than their counterparts in other provinces, and they don't have the resources to do their jobs.

Their salariestop out at about $102,000 a year, while theirOntario counterparts earn as much as $196,000.

The prosecutors alsowant their ranks bolstered with the hiring of 200 new lawyers to help ease the workload.

On Tuesday, theypicketed acourthouse built for large trials. Inside, a so-called mega-trial, unaffected by the strike, proceeded as normal.

Only a few Crown prosecutors were assigned to take on 60 defence lawyers, employed by 156 Hells Angels and their associates seeking to have the charges against them thrown out.

Mediated talks between the Crown attorneys union and the government ended abruptly Monday, and on Tuesday, thegovernment also pulled its contract offer.

"The government very clearly, without any ambiguity, broke off negotiations," Leblanc said.

He called it a tactic to put the Crown attorneys in a vulnerable position.

Treasury Board Minister Michelle Courchesne said she won't negotiate in public.

Government lawyersalso deal with car-accident compensation and rental board cases.

They help draft legislation, includingprovincial budgets, and defend the province in landmark constitutional cases such as those involving language laws, assisted reproduction and same-sex marriage.

"Ontario, Alberta or British Columbia are being paid 40 per cent more than we are for the exact same job," said Eric Dufour, a spokesman for the lawyers.

'Not working in Disneyland'

The prosecutors say their strike is not just about the money but about repairing serious flaws in the legal system.

"This is not a joke," Crown prosecutor J.D. Gerols told a news conference. "We're not working in Disneyland. We're talking about people's lives, people in great pain.

The averagecourt case in Quebec is already among thelongest in Canada, and the potential for a long-term strike is cause for concern, the Quebec government said.

"We are concerned with the way justice is administered daily," Fournier said in Quebec City. "We need them and citizens need a justice system that works."