Alberta’s Crown prosecutors are determined to fight for collective bargaining rights even if it means taking job action, says an association representing prosecutors.
A majority of Alberta’s 380 Crown prosecutors represented by the Alberta Crown Attorneys’ Association took part in a virtual meeting on Wednesday night to discuss their concerns, said association president Dallas Sopko.
“I can tell you that coming out of that that our membership is stronger than it’s ever been before, both by the number of prosecutors we have, but also by how unified our members are,” he said on Thursday. “I can tell you that we are beyond frustrated with the government and our concerns falling on deaf ears.”
The prosecutors expect to meet again in the next few weeks. “After that point, there may indeed be a strike,” he said.
Sopko said any job action by prosecutors, including about 12 who work out of Red Deer, would be a last resort.
“The last thing we really want to do, to be frank, is to not be in court and have the victims not get their day in court.
“We don’t want that to happen, but we have to look out for the long-term viability of the justice system and our prosecution service.
“What we’re hoping is that the government will realize that this change is needed, that we need the ability to bargain on behalf of prosecutors and that they’ll come to the table with that.
“That would avoid this entire situation.”
Among Canada’s prosecutors, only those in P.E.I. and Saskatchwan, do not have the right to collectively bargain.
In a letter to Premier Jason Kenney, the association also asks for a meeting with the premier by the end of the month and the creation of a salary grid for prosecutors on par with B.C. and Ontario. Prosecutors are also looking for more mental health resources, reasonable workloads and adequate security.
Prosecutors have made their concerns known but rarely get to sit down with the decision-makers.
They hope their complaints get heard, but “if not, we have no recourse. It just isn’t viable anymore.”
Sopko said prosecutors have already been told to triage cases, which means many victims never get their day in court.
Despite those measures, there is a backlog of 3,000 cases.
The government has promised more prosecutors but there are still 40 vacancies left unfilled because prosecutors do not want to come to Alberta.
If prosecutors are able to bargain for better working conditions, Alberta will be a more attractive option. As it stands, young prosecutors come to Alberta to get a start but head elsewhere when they have experience.
“We’ve become essentially a farm team for these other jurisdictions.”