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Too many inequities

On the B.C.

On the B.C. Rail privatization case, the provincial government has decided to cover $6 million in legal fees for two former ministerial aides Basi and Virk, an amount which increased as the trial dragged out over years, only to end with their guilty pleas mere days before high-ranking B.C. Liberal political (including Campbell) were being called to testify. The terms of this $6-million payment by B.C. taxpayers for these guys' legal fees is mysterious at best - some call it "legal aid," others call it a deal whereby politicians' legal fees get covered by taxpayers -if they are innocent. So now we have two (probably not impoverished) criminals with their legal debts paid by us and the sell-off of a public asset B.C. Rail with many questions left unanswered. What I want to know is why our public "legal aid" is covering this expense and yet many more worthy causes - such as single parents (usually mothers) raising children in poverty - cannot access legal aid lawyers to get into court for child support and equitable division of family assets. Many such parents cannot afford to hire lawyers but are denied legal aid. Why the disparity in what is covered by publicly-funded "legal aid?" Are expenses such as Basi and Virk's legal fees part of the rationale for why we now have to pay HST on sports activities, bicycles and many other items?

Mary MacDonald

Prince George