News and Discussion

On August 3, 2023, members of the AJCLA executive met with Acting ADM Marie Strauss and Acting ED Nancy McCurdy to discuss proposed salary adjustments for legal officers. Marie expressed the following:

• Since the election, Marie in her role as acting ADM has sent a written request to the PSC for increases to the LSD legal officer salary structure seeking parity with ACPS.

• This is now a matter before the PSC. Although the framework for this decision is set out in section 13 of the Public Service Act, she was unaware of the detailed internal process of the PSC. Marie was unable to provide a timeline for when the PSC might make a decision to recommend the changes to the salary ranges.

• The Minister of Justice is aware of this issue and has expressed that he is “100% supportive” of the proposed salary increases and “expected a change very soon”, but the decision is not within his authority and he cannot direct the PSC.

• There is still enough money in the LSD 2023/24 budget for LSD legal officers to achieve parity with ACPS. If LSD salaries are not increased in this fiscal year, the surplus money will go back to the DM and get reallocated to other divisions (this would happen near the end of the fiscal year).

Further to this information, the AJCLA Executive has sent the following correspondence to the Public Service Commissioner, by which we are requesting specific information about the process and timeline for the PSC's compensation adjustment review. While Civil Crown Counsel within the GOA deserve these pay raises and parity with the ACPS, they also deserve an employer who will honestly and candidly engage with them on employment issues, including one so integral as salary. The AJCLA will provide any information that it receives from the PSC to the membership, and will continue to seek this information until a clear answer is received.

As always, please feel free to reach out to your Executive to discuss this or any other issue.