Quebec’s crown prosecutors begrudgingly returned to work Tuesday convinced that the provincial government is intent on destroying its own justice system.
At the stroke of 1 p.m. – the deadline set by the government in Tuesday’s back-to-work legislation – the crown prosecutors, dressed in their black torges, streamed silently into the Montreal courthouse.
They expressed pride in their two-week strike, but shame in working for a government that on the one hand gave them the right to strike, but on the other ordered them back to work under practically the same working conditions.
One prosecutor admitted that there had also been tears as a result of what they perceive to be a profound betrayal on the part of their employer.
“The only ones cheering right now are the Hell’s Angels, the Mafia, the cartels and the gangs,” crown prosecutor J.D. Gerols said, referring to the difficulty in attracting and retaining experienced lawyers to prosecute complicated cases.
The prosecutors have been asking the government for eight years for more resources, such as researchers, to enable them to do their jobs better. They also want pay parity with their counterparts in the rest of the country, which would require a 40-per-cent pay increase.
What they got was six per cent over five years and an order to go back to work even though they have the right to strike.
In protest, several chief- and assistant-chief crown prosecutors, who were not on strike, asked to be reassigned to regular duties. The government refused to accept their resignations from managerial duties.
But Christian Leblanc, president of the prosecutor’s association, said the message to the government is clear.
“There’s been a breach of trust between the prosecutors and many managers and the (director of prosecutors Louis Dionne),” he said.
“What made us sad and angry is why, when Quebec and even Canada is experiencing the biggest crisis in criminal law, that the person whose mandate it is to ensure the service is provided, didn’t take a position and remained silent.”
In a statement, Dionne’s office said he had no intention of resigning, as the province’s 450 prosecutors had asked. Instead, Dionne requested all the lawyers to return to work and look forward.
It’s an approach Gerols referred to as the “Hosni complex,” referring to Hosni Mubarak, who long refused to step down as president of Egypt.
“Why has the government gone out of its way to hurt the resources and the morale of people who were already asking for help?” Gerols asked. “It’s like people in the trenches in the First World War and they’re asking for ammo and a bit of water and bread and a bit of medicine, and some reinforcements because we’ve been fighting too long.
“And they’re back in the high command drinking champagne at the château and not worrying about that because it’s not really on their radar.”
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