Hundreds of Quebecers with cancer and “in a financially precarious situation” will be able to use free legal services thanks to an initiative uniting Juripop and the Quebec Cancer Foundation.

As of Thursday, “anyone suffering from cancer and having an income below certain financial scales will be able to benefit from free legal services according to their needs”, announced the legal clinic in a press release.

"Access to justice and understanding of one's rights can stop the spiral of vulnerability that affects some people," explained Juripop's executive director, Sophie Gagnon, who has been working on the project with the Quebec Cancer Foundation for six years. month.

Support services in civil law, family law, housing law and contract law will be offered by Juripop. Applicants will also be able to contact notaries under the program. It should be noted that the philanthropic NPO will offer a telephone legal assistance service to the applicant.

“We are really taking a step forward in defending the interests of people with cancer,” said the director general of the Quebec Cancer Foundation, Marco Décelles.

Applicants will have to fill out a form on the Juripop website, proving that they meet the eligibility criteria.

"We are going to go there on a principle of self-declaration [...] we start on the principle that the people who are going to use the service really need it", explained Mr. Décelles when he was asked in an interview if the applicants will have to prove their health and financial condition.

The wind in the sails

The first part of the project aims to guide individuals with cancer through the maze of the legal world. However, Mr. Décelles hinted at the possibility of offering legal services to interested persons.

“We have a good program to start the machine […]. I have no doubt that, by dint of talking about the program, large law firms in Quebec will seek to take on difficult pro bono cases at their expense,” added Mr. Décelles.

The Fonds d’études notariales of the Chambre des notaires du Québec will largely finance the project, in collaboration with the Fondation québécoise du Cancer.

Maximum income according to family situation to be eligible