A former NDP Premier is launching a broadside at the provincial government of the day over changes to ICBC he says fly in the face of another former Premier, Dave Barrett, and his vision for ICBC.

Ujjal Dosanjh says the changes block people’s fundamental right to seek justice in the courts.

“It is the poor, and the disabled, and the vulnerable that won’t have the capacity to hire private lawyers to challenge the threshold,” he said. “This is a negation of what Dave Barrett did.”

Dosanjh adds the province should have sought other options.

“Now that you have is a draconian scheme, absolutely undemocratic, that diminishes people’s rights to go to court,” he added. “They could have found another way of dealing with it.”

“Different successive governments have been bleeding the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia over the years. Now you have a crisis and who are they punishing? They are punishing the victims.”

The Trial Lawyers Association has launched a constitutional challenge against the minor injury pay out caps and introduction of a tribunal to deal with claims disputes.