With the clock ticking down to an April 1st deadline B.C.’s Attorney General is hoping job action from legal aid lawyers can be averted.

Dave Eby says the system has been dramatically underfunded pointing to his government’s 30-million-dollar funding increase while also adding it is not enough.

Eby says talks with the legal aid lawyers association continues.

“I understand why the lawyers are frustrated. We have had the report for a few weeks now and we are sitting down with the association of legal aid lawyers. The people who get hurt in a service withdrawal are the most vulnerable people who kids have been taken away by the state, or people who are facing criminal charges, people who are refugees. What we are trying to do is find a way to buy some time so that we can have a conversation and negotiate a deal together.”

Eby says the province has made mental health, housing, and addictions a priority and he is not making any apologies for that.

As for legal aid he says “we are getting there.”