Government of Canada working with Pro Bono Ontario to offer legal assistance across Canada to families of Canadian victims of Flight PS752

OTTAWA, Jan. 27, 2020 /CNW/ - As the Government of Canada continues to work closely with its international partners to ensure that the crash of Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752 is thoroughly investigated, and that Canadians' questions are answered, our priority is to provide the families and loved ones of the victims with the support they need.

As indicated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on January 17^th, the Department of Justice Canada is providing $218,029 in funding to Pro Bono Ontario to provide legal assistance to family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents who lost their lives in flight PS752. The funding under the Justice Partnership and Innovation Program will flow over two years, 2019-20 and 2020-21, to support families across Canada as required.  

As of today, families are able to call a toll-free number, Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 6 pm EST, which is available on the portal created for families on the Global Affairs web site. Families are able to speak with a triage lawyer, free of charge, who will assess their legal needs, provide summary legal advice and legal drafting assistance, and make referrals to pro bono lawyers across Canada as appropriate.

Pro Bono Ontario is partnering with Iranian Canadian Legal Professionals (ICLP) to develop a linguistically proficient and culturally sensitive panel of volunteer lawyers to provide additional assistance. This initiative will help families address a variety of legal issues that have arisen as a result of the loss of their loved ones.

Quotes

"My sincerest condolences go to each and every family member and loved ones of the victims of this unspeakable tragedy. As families are trying to navigate this tragedy, we hope that access to culturally and linguistically sensitive legal assistance will be an important support. I thank Pro Bono Ontario for taking this important role and for the work they are doing with Justice Canada and our partners to provide assistance to grieving families."

The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., Q.C., M.P.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

"Pro Bono Ontario is honoured to build a national pro bono response to this disaster. We are also grateful for the outpouring of goodwill from partners like the Iranian Canadian Legal Professionals, who want to ease suffering in their community."

Lynn Burns, Executive Director
Pro Bono Ontario

"ICLP is very grateful for the efforts of PBO and the Department of Justice in assisting the families of Canadian victims from flight 752. We are proud to make efforts on our end to facilitate the recruitment of Iranian Canadian lawyers to form the roster for the dedicated toll-free PBO hotline."

Lida Moazzam, Chair
Iranian Canadian Legal Professionals

Quick facts

• Founded in 2001, Pro Bono Ontario is a registered charity that provides free legal services to nearly 30,000 clients each year, assisting vulnerable Ontarians with the civil, non-family legal problems that account for approximately 60 percent of unmet legal needs in the province. PBO's Hotline answers approximately 15,000 calls each year. The service provides just-in-time legal assistance to help low-income people address their everyday legal problems before they escalate and intensify.
• The Iranian Canadian Legal Professionals (ICLP) is a not-for-profit and non-partisan organization which was formed in early 2014. The mandate of the ICLP includes, building, maintaining, and strengthening a network of Iranian legal professionals in Canada; establishing mentorship programs and providing guidance to Iranian legal professionals in Canada; establishing links between Iranian-Canadian legal professionals and the Iranian community as well as the broader legal community in Canada; promoting and advocating on behalf of legal professionals of Iranian descent; and raising public awareness in and providing a forum for discussion on issues affecting the Iranian-Canadian community.

Related links

• Canada's response to Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 tragedy
• Pro Bono Ontario
• Justice Partnership and Innovation Program

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SOURCE Department of Justice Canada