The Manitoba government is taking action to bolster the Manitoba Prosecution Service and its ability to prosecute violent criminals with a $3.4-million investment to hire 19 new Crown attorneys and six new legal staff to support their work, as well as an additional six new Crown counsel for the Legal Services Branch to strengthen internal capacity, Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced today.
"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," said Goertzen. "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.”
The 25 new Crown lawyers represent the largest increase in Crown attorneys in the past 15 years and 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," 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."
Over the past year, there has been a net increase of six new Crown positions at the Department of Justice. This investment in new Crown attorneys builds on $1.4 million dedicated earlier this year for seven new Crown positions and three support staff, the minister noted, which increased the department’s capacity to address firearms trafficking, manufacturing and related violent crime in Manitoba.