Infographic: Legal Aid in Canada 2020-21

Legal Aid in Canada

The annual legal aid report presents data on legal aid delivery in Canada. This infographic presents trend data over five years from 2016-17 to 2020-21.

After gradually increasing, expenditures, including administrative costs, went down in 2020-21 – there were $869 million in expenditures and $156 million in administrative costs in 2020-21.

Breakdown of Federal and Provincial/Territorial funding

• 2016-17 contributions: $728 million from PTs, $150 million from Justice Canada, $40 million other
• 2017-18 contributions: $790 million from PTs, $156 million from Justice Canada, $83 million other
• 2018-19 contributions: $783 million from PTs, $159 million from Justice Canada, $120 million other
• 2019-20 contributions: $679 million from PTs, $192 million from Justice Canada, $159 million other
• 2020-21 contributions: $682 million from PTs, $190 million from Justice Canada, $76 million other

*Administrative costs have decreased due to operational disruptions attributed to COVID-19. Expenditures, costs and revenue are reported in 2021 constant dollars. (Constant dollars (vs. current dollars) are adjusted to reflect inflation to make comparisons between years more accurate; here the constant dollars have been adjusted as of March 15, 2022.)

The number of legal aid applications and duty counsel assists (legal services provided to an un-represented accused at a court house or in a courtroom) decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic

• 2016-17 total applications received: 622,349; total duty counsel assists: 1,161,853
• 2017-18 total applications received: 598,848; total duty counsel assists: 1,214,222
• 2018-19 total applications received: 593,676; total duty counsel assists: 1,229,291
• 2019-20 total applications received: 556,452; total duty counsel assists: 1,204,877
• 2020-21 total applications received: 458,149; total duty counsel assists: 742,082

The approval rate of legal aid applications increased slightly between 2016-17 and 2018-19, before leveling off in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

• Criminal applications went from 81% approved in 2016-17 to 84% approved in 2020-21
• Civil** applications went from 75% approved 2016-17 to 76% approved in 2020-21
• Total applications went from 78% approved in 2016-17 to 80% approved in 2020-21

**Includes Immigration and Refugee (I&R) matters

Application characteristics are constant across all years.

• The majority of legal aid applicants are male (61% average). A large proportion of applicants are between 18 and 34 years of age (44% average).
• Slightly over half of applications (54% average) are for criminal matters while the most common reason for refusing an application is financial ineligibility (51% average).

Notes:

1. Expenditures are payments made by legal aid plans to private law firms for the delivery of legal services and the costs of legal services delivered by legal aid plan staff.
2. Duty counsel assists are services provided by a lawyer at a location other than a legal aid office, generally at court or a place of detention. Most often, the services provided are brief, and pertain to provision of summary services, docket court appearances, or representation at a first appearance or plea court.