Ontario Premier Doug Ford doubled down on his promise to help anyone who calls his office get legal aid Friday, even though he’s already ignored dozens of requests for assistance.
“We’re going to try to help everyone on legal aid,” Ford told HuffPost Canada after a transit announcement in Kitchener, Ont. “I try to help everyone and I’ll continue to help anyone who calls. I do my best.”
But Michael Spratt, a criminal defence lawyer in Ottawa, says he’s contacted Ford’s office more than 40 times on behalf of his clients who have been denied legal aid and hasn’t gotten any help.
Spratt says the only response he’s received came from the Ministry of the Attorney General. The “patronizing” email said that Legal Aid Ontario, the agency that provides legal aid services with funding from the province, operates independently from the government.
“The premier guaranteed that anyone who needed legal aid would get it. That was a disingenuous lie,” Spratt told HuffPost Friday.
Read Emma Palling’s full article: Huffington Post
