Manitoba's Justice Minister says new provincial funding will enable better prosecution of violent criminals and address crime on our streets.
Kelvin Goertzen says the Manitoba government is taking action to bolster the Manitoba Prosecution Service with a $3.4 million investment. The funding will allow the hiring of 19 new Crown attorneys and six new legal staff to support their work. An additional six new Crown counsels will also be added for the Legal Services Branch to strengthen internal capacity.
"The addition of 25 new Crown attorneys is a crucial step in ensuring the effective functioning of our justice system and demonstrates our government's strong commitment to public safety and tackling the increase of violent crime we are seeing across the province," says the Steinbach MLA. "The addition of new attorneys will enhance our ability to prosecute serious criminal offences. These new positions, together with our calls for federal changes to the Criminal Code that will make bail harder to achieve for violent and repeat offenders, and our record investments as part of our Violent Crime Strategy, show we are taking meaningful steps to address crime on our streets."
According to our province, the 25 new Crown lawyers represent the largest increase in Crown attorneys in the past 15 years. The increased support staff will help address increased workloads being faced by the Crown law division, assist in ongoing retention efforts, and enhance overall employee wellness.
"Addressing workload concerns is a crucial step toward maintaining a high standard of legal services," adds 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."
Over the past year, there has been a net increase of six new Crown positions at the Department of Justice. Goertzen says this investment in new Crown attorneys builds on $1.4 million dedicated earlier this year for seven new Crown positions and three support staff, which increased the department's capacity to address firearms trafficking, manufacturing and related violent crime in Manitoba.