Advertisement

Manitoba justice minister announces 25 new Crown attorney positions

Click to play video: 'Manitoba justice minister announces 25 new Crown attorney positions'
Manitoba justice minister announces 25 new Crown attorney positions
The Manitoba government is set to hire 25 new Crown attorneys in order to bolster the province’s prosecution service – Jun 26, 2023

The Manitoba government is set to hire 25 new Crown attorneys in order to bolster the province’s prosecution service.

Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced the $3.4-million investment Monday afternoon. In addition to the attorneys, six new legal staff will be hired to support them.

“We believe [these positions] will help not only when it comes to workload issues, it will certainly help when it comes to moving cases more quickly through the court process. But most importantly, it will help in getting those who are violent offenders off our streets,” said Goertzen.

Goertzen said this investment represents the larges single increase in crown attorneys in the past 15 years, which he said will help address increased workloads being faced by  prosecutors.

Story continues below advertisement

“Addressing workload concerns is a crucial step toward maintaining a high standard of legal services,” added Goertzen. “By providing the additional resources and support, we aim to reduce the risk of burnout, ensure quality prosecutions, and handle more complex civil matters internally, thereby reducing costs associated with external counsel.”

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

In April, the Manitoba Association of Crown Attorneys filed a grievance with the provincial government, citing burnout created by significant workloads, complex cases, and the departure of experienced prosecutors. The association has also entered arbitration with the province over their collective agreement, after 94 per cent of MACA members voted to reject the final offer from the province.

These new positions will add to the  10 Crown positions announced by the province in February. The previous $1.4 million investment promised seven Crown positions, six of which have been filled, and three support staff dedicated to addressing violent crime and firearm offences.

Click to play video: 'Manitoba Justice Minister comments on push for bail reform, discussions with federal government'
Manitoba Justice Minister comments on push for bail reform, discussions with federal government

Sponsored content

AdChoices