Montréal – Access to justice is key to increasing Canadians’ confidence in their justice system. By improving the ability of organizations to offer legal services in French and English across the country, the Government of Canada continues to fulfill its commitment to support official language minority communities.
Marc Miller, Member of Parliament for Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs, on behalf of Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, announced the allocation of $2,340,855 over five years (2023–2028) through the Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Support Fund to support Éducaloi in the delivery of services to English-speaking Quebecers.
The funding announced today supports the “Access to Justice for English-speaking Quebecers: A Capacity Building and Collective Impact Approach” project. These funds help Éducaloi improve services to English-speaking citizens, including vulnerable and hard-to-reach clienteles. Through the development of plain-language legal information tools and educational resources in English, this project addresses the needs of Quebec’s official language minority community. Website accessibility, more active communication on social media, informative workshops, and an advertising campaign will help increase access to justice in both official languages. The funds will also enable Éducaloi—through its network of partners—to strengthen the capacity of other organizations to offer legal information services in English.
Founded in 2000, Éducaloi develops and provides legal information in all formats and in a way that is easily understood by all audiences. Its mission is to inform Quebec citizens about the law, their rights, and their obligations.
“Our government is working to improve access to justice in both official languages across the country. With longtime partners like Éducaloi, we are making important progress. The funding we are announcing today will advance efforts to provide legal information to the public, promote diversity and inclusion, eliminate barriers, and offer services to official language minority communities in Quebec.” – Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
“The goal of this project is to increase access to justice through a variety of tailored tools and partnerships that enable citizens from official language minority communities to be served in the language of their choice. Éducaloi is a key partner in these efforts, as it helps Quebecers better understand and exercise their legal rights and responsibilities—in both French and English.” – Marc Miller, MP for Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs