Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to discuss and inform this House about an issue that keeps being brought up to my attention by my constituents, and it has to do with the lack of resources in our legal aid office.

Mr. Speaker, it appears that with the under-funded resources we have with the legal aid, a lot of people in need of legal help are without a lawyer, and when they do finally get one after a prolonged period of waiting, they do not seem to get enough time with the lawyer, so it takes a very long time for them to have their case heard and processed and obtain a decision. Once the decision is reached, the battle continues on with respect to enforcing the decision. Many of these cases are child support cases where many single parents, usually women, are having to do everything they can and make numerous phone calls and write letters to make sure that the office is doing what is required to enforce those decisions.

Mr. Speaker, I have many many calls in this regard and these under-funded resources have some of them to lose some of the payments or money that is available to the opposing spouse that they could have had on behalf of their children. I believe that this is an issue I brought up many many times before in this House. The lack of resources in this office is a serious concern and it is really having an effect on the families and mothers with children who really need the money every month to support them.

Mr. Speaker, I have asked this question before in this House to the Minister and I ask that Minister again, and I will ask later today, to see what can be done to better resource this office so that those in need of legal aid help can achieve them in a speedy manner and that they get the necessary support they need. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause