The Public Commission on Legal Aid was established the Canadian Bar Association BC branch in June of 2010 to engage the public of British Columbia in order to determine their priorities regarding legal aid in the province of British Columbia.
The cuts to legal aid, redirection of money to family justice centres and the emphasis on mediation has put women in the position of negotiating with an abusive or controlling man in mediation. Women who manage to escape before getting hit do not qualify for legal aid and are being turned away to deal with the abuser on their own in mediation where all the parties are assumed to be on more or less equal footing.