Critical shortage of Crown attorneys has 'gone on way too long' and is hurting public safety, group says

An umbrella group for thousands of Crown attorneys and government lawyers across the country is calling for a big boost in the number of provincial prosecutors in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"This has gone on way too long, and we need to make sure that we have prosecutors who have enough people and resources to keep the public safe," Adam Dalrymple, vice-president of the Canadian Association of Crown Counsel, told CBC News in a recent interview from Vancouver.

Dalrymple was in St. John's last month for meetings, and had discussions with local Crown attorneys to discuss some of their issues.

He says he was concerned about what he heard.

"They're doing their jobs, essentially with their hands tied behind their backs," Dalrymple said. "There's just not enough resources."

He says officials with the national association tried unsuccessfully to arrange meetings with the provincial justice minister and attorney general the week they were in St. John's.

"We have some significant concerns about the workload of Newfoundland and Labrador prosecutors, and we're calling on the government, Justice Minister Davis, to increase the complement of Crown attorneys in the province from between 25 and 30, in addition to the current complement," Dalrymple said.

That would be a massive increase about two-thirds more than the existing number of provincial Crown attorneys.

• Crown attorneys in N.L. are 'crumbling' under their workload, and it's putting the public at risk: lawyer

Dalrymple's comments echoed concerns publicly expressed by local lawyers.

'Public safety is a priority'

Earlier this month, a senior Crown prosecutor in Newfoundland and Labrador said he and his colleagues are "suffocating" from overwhelming workloads.

"You want to ensure that public safety is a priority," Shawn Patten, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Crown Attorneys Association, told CBC News.

"And right now our office is doing its best to make public safety a priority. But we're crumbling. Our foundation is crumbling."

Patten said there are fewer lawyers handling double the file load in the St. John's region compared to a decade ago, and those cases are now more complex.

• N.L. justice minister hears public safety concerns from prosecutors with 'suffocating' workloads

Justice Minister Bernard Davis told reporters last week that his department is aware of those potential public safety concerns, while noting that work is underway to address the issue.

"We understand that Crowns are an important piece, they play an important role, and without them this justice system would crumble," Davis said.

Davis flagged a recent pay hike for prosecutors and ongoing efforts to recruit at law schools across the country as measures that have been taken so far.

But he didn't provide more information about any other potential short-term solutions, saying "we're working through that process now in our department."

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