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The man who should have been attorney-general, former NDP justice expert-turned-mayor of Nanaimo Leonard Krog shakes his head in dismay.

“I had expected when we became government that we would be doing the right thing and we haven’t,” lamented Krog, the party’s caucus chair until he resigned in 2018.

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“This government, my government, is really no different than the former government. Legal aid rates should be increased.”

The continuing legal-aid crisis that has spurred lawyers to threaten a strike beginning April 1 should have been quickly addressed by the NDP administration, Krog insisted.

“A number of counsel who continue to do legal aid (down from 1,500 to about 1,000) are earning less than legal secretaries at many law firms, for heaven’s sakes,” Krog fumed.

“Honestly, I have no idea (why the tariff wasn’t increased). You know, there are several lawyers or were in caucus — Attorney-General David Eby, Bruce Ralston and Bob D’Eist. Ralston certainly practiced in this area. I don’t know if Eby did much court work, per se, or more administrative work, but they are not unfamiliar with the system. And the diminishing number of lawyers who will do this work tells you it’s clearly, clearly underfunded.”