Crown attorneys dealing with high stress, trauma exposure at work: survey

A survey of Manitoba’s Crown attorneys is painting a stark picture of the stress the workforce is under.

A survey of Manitoba’s Crown attorneys is painting a bleak picture of the stress the workforce is under.

The survey, shared with CTV News Winnipeg, saw 94 per cent of the workforce say they’re experiencing a high level of trauma exposure from their work.

“The results of that report were stark,” said Ben Wickstrom, a spokesperson for the Manitoba Association of Crown Attorneys. “What we got from that report was some very specific information that said that people are suffering from some mental health challenges, as well as information saying that people feel their workload is too heavy and that they’re burning out from the work that they’re doing.”

The survey said one in seven surveyed felt their workload is manageable, and even fewer reported having high morale.

Wickstrom said members know their work can be emotionally taxing, but more needs to be done to lessen the load.

“If all you’re doing day in, day out with no end is dealing with that kind of violence, it’s going to take a toll on you,” he said. “So we need to have the right number of Crowns available to do that work, so that the workload is shared around, and so that the exposure isn’t as heavy as it might be if you overworked.”

Wickstrom said a meeting with government officials is scheduled for next week to talk about their concerns.

In a statement, Justice Minister Matt Wiebe placed the blame for the survey results on the previous Progressive Conservative government.

“These survey results are a clear reflection of how the previous government mistreated our Crown Attorneys, how they neglected our justice system, and how they disrespected those who do this important work every single day,” Wiebe said in a statement.

Wiebe said the NDP government has hired 35 more Crown attorneys, 20 more support staff members, and reduced clerk vacancies by 85 per cent in Winnipeg.

He adds the government has created committees to address mental health and trauma counselling for Crown attorneys.