A Study on Legal Aid and Official Languages in Canada

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APPENDIX F - SURVEY OF CLIENTS AND POTENTIAL CLIENTS
Legal Aid and Official Languages

SURVEY FOR INTERVIEWS WITH ANGLOPHONES IN QUÉBEC

Hello, my name is , with Prairie Research Associates. We are an independent research firm doing research for the Department of Justice Canada on legal services in the two official languages. This survey should only take about 5 minutes of your time.

• Continue: 1
• Schedule call back: 2
• End Survey: 3
• Don't know: 8
• No Response: 9

SECTION A - BACKGROUND QUESTIONS

• 1. Is English your first language?
  • Yes: 1
  • No: 2 [IF NO, END SURVEY]
  • No Response: 9
• 2. Do you usually speak English at home?
  • Yes: 1
  • No: 2
  • No Response: 9
• 3. How would you describe your neighbourhood? [READ OPTIONS]
  • Mostly francophone: 1
  • Mostly anglophone: 2
  • Equally French and English: 3
  • Don't know: 8
  • No response: 9
• 4. How would you describe your ability to communicate in French? [READ OPTIONS]
  • Excellent: 1
  • Good: 2
  • Limited: 3
  • Can't communicate: 4
  • No response: 9

SECTION B- PREVIOUS USE OF LEGAL AID SERVICES

• 5. Have you ever needed any legal services of any kind ?
  • Yes: 1
  • No: 2 [SKIP TO Q.22]
  • Don't know: 8
  • No response: 9
• 6. Where did you go to get the legal services that you needed?
  • Legal Aid Office: 1
  • Private lawyer: 2 [SKIP TO Q.22]
  • Community Legal Clinic: 3 [SKIP TO Q.22]
  • Other (VERBATIM): [SKIP TO Q.22]
• 7. When you applied for legal aid, did the Legal Aid staff speak to you in English?
  • Yes: 1
  • No: 2 [SKIP TO Q.9]
  • Don't know: 8
  • No Response: 9
• 8. Did you have to ask to speak to someone in English?
  • Yes: 1 [SKIP TO Q.10]
  • No: 2 [SKIP TO Q.10]
  • Don't know: 8
  • No response: 9
• 9. Did you ask to speak to someone in English?
  • Yes: 1
  • No: 2
  • Don't know: 8
  • No response: 9
• 10. Did you lawyer speak English?
  • Yes: 1
  • No: 2 [SKIP TO Q.12]
  • Don't know: 8
  • No response: 9
• 11. Did you ask or were you offered a lawyer who spoke English ?
  • Asked: 1 [SKIP TO Q.13]
  • Offered: 2 [SKIP TO Q.13]
  • Don't know: 8
  • No response: 9
• 12. Would you have preferred to have a lawyer who spoke English?
  • Yes: 1
  • No: 2
• 13. Legal Aid may also offer other services including a toll-free information line. Have you used this service?
  • Yes: 1
  • No: 2 [SKIP TO Q. 16]
  • Don't know: 8 [SKIP TO Q. 16]
  • No response: 9 [SKIP TO Q. 16]
• 14. Was this service provided to you in English ?
  • Yes: 1
  • No: 2 [SKIP TO Q. 16]
  • Don't know: 8
  • No response: 9
• 15. Did you ask or was this service in offered in English ?
  • Asked: 1
  • Offered: 2
  • Don't know: 8
  • No response: 9
• 16. Another service sometimes offered by legal aid is a lawyer at the court who can help you with your first appearance. Have you used this service?
  • Yes: 1
  • No: 2 [SKIP TO Q.19]
  • Don't know : 8 [SKIP TO Q.19]
  • No response : 9 [SKIP TO Q.19]
• 17. Was this service provided to you in English?
  • Yes: 1
  • No: 2 [SKIP TO Q.19]
  • Don't know : 8
  • No response : 9
• 18. Did you ask or was this service offered in English ?
  • Asked: 1
  • Offered: 2
  • Don't know : 8
  • No response : 9
• 19. Have you used any other legal aid services ?
  • Yes: 1
  • Please specify :
  • No: 2 [SKIP TO Q.22]
  • Don't know : 8 [SKIP TO Q.22]
  • No response : 9 [SKIP TO Q.22]
• 20. Were these services provided to you in English ?
  • Yes: 1
  • No: 2 [SKIP TO Q.22]
  • Don't know : 8
  • No response : 9
• 21. Did you ask or were you offered these services in English?
  • Asked: 1
  • Offered: 2
  • Don't know : 8
  • No response : 9

SECTION C-PREFERRED LANGUAGE FOR LEGAL ASSISTANCE

• 22. In general, if you had a legal problem and needed to to to court, in what language would you want the courts hearing or trial to be held?[READ OPTIONS]
  • English: 1
  • French: 2
  • Either one : 3
  • Don't know : 8
  • No response : 9
• 23. Is it important for you to have a lawyer speak to you in English?
  • Yes: 1
  • No: 2
  • Don't know : 8
  • No response : 9
• 24. I will now read you three statements. Please telle me whether you agree or not with these statements[READ OPTIONS]:
  1. « I would choose a lawyer to help me because he/she speaks English »
     • Strongly agree: 1
     • Somewhat agree: 2
     • No opinion: 3
     • Somewhat disagree: 4
     • Strongly disagree: 5
     • No response: 9
  2. « I would choose a lawyer because of his/her reputation even if the lawyer only speaks French. »
     • Strongly agree: 1
     • Somewhat agree: 2
     • No opinion: 3
     • Somewhat disagree: 4
     • Strongly disagree: 5
     • No response: 9
  3. « I don't mind my case going before the court in French as long as I can speak to my lawyer in English.»
     • Strongly agree: 1
     • Somewhat agree: 2
     • No opinion: 3
     • Somewhat disagree: 4
     • Strongly disagree: 5
     • No response: 9
• 25. If there were long delays in contacting a lawyer who could speak English, would you:
  • Contact a French-speaking lawyer: 1
  • If available, use the services of an interpreter : 2
  • Continue to wait : 3
  • Don't know : 8
  • No response : 9

This ends our survey. Could you please tell me your postal code?
(VERBATIM)

I would like to thank you for taking the time to answer these questions; we greatly appreciate it.

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