Ours to Protect – Media Release
06/11/2025
“The law must not be politicised. It must be purely objective and applied equally to all.”
– Executive Director, Peter Kingsley, KC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 6, 2025
Winnipeg, Manitoba – Canadians live, work, and play within the law every day. Laws govern every aspect of our lives and ensure all of us live in a safe, fair, and equitable society. Laws are the foundation of democracy.
Recently, the national discussion has centred on the strength of our criminal laws regarding bail and sentencing, a debate which has at times become heated and often comes from a place of emotion. This week, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that minimum sentences in the cases of child pornography are a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Legal Aid Manitoba (LAM) understands laws change and must be modernised but emphasizes those changes must be based on objective study and evidence, free of political ideology, and in line with the fundamental rights set out in our Charter of Rights. Most importantly they should not be influenced by foreign governments including those south of the border.
“The growing worries and concerns of Canadians surrounding this country’s legal system and how laws are applied is alarming,” said Peter Kingsley, Executive Director LAM. “Disinformation is playing a large role in unnecessarily heightening those worries.”
LAM is pleased the Law Society of Manitoba (LSM) is taking part in “Ours to Protect,” a new national campaign aimed at raising awareness about the importance of the rule of law. New research released in this campaign shows fewer than half of Canadians believe our justice system works as it should and more than two-thirds worry political influence could shape court decisions*.
For more on the national campaign, please visit Ours to Protect.
-30-
Legal Aid Manitoba is committed to increasing access to justice by establishing sustainable, scalable, and accessible full representation programs for low-income individuals, the working poor, and public interest groups. LAM assisted more than 100,000 Manitobans in 2023/24.
Media inquiries: media@legalaid.mb.ca
* Survey Methodology: Performed by DiSCOVER, July 2025, online, a completely random survey with this sample size (n=1,500) would yield a margin of error of ±2.53 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
