The Canadian Legal Problems Survey (CLPS) and the National Justice Survey (NJS) collect information about serious disputes or problems experienced by Canadians that may have legal implications, whether or not they require legal assistance. The survey examines the types of problems experienced, the steps people take to resolve them, their access to legal help, associated costs, and the impacts of these problems in areas such as health, family, and work.
Given this broad scope, respondents were asked about a series of problems that they may not necessarily consider to be a legal problem. The types of problems were broken down into 19 categories described as follows (Statistics Canada, 2022[1]):
1. A problem with a large purchase or service where you did not get what you paid for and the seller did not fix the problem;
2. A problem with an employer or a job, excluding personal injuries;
3. A personal injury or serious health issue that occurred at work, in a commercial establishment, in a traffic accident or any other public place;
4. A problem in your neighbourhood such as vandalism, property damage, threats or excessive noise;
5. A problem with a house, rent, mortgage or rent owed;
6. Money you owe (debt) or money owed to you, excluding rent and housing issues;
7. A problem getting social or housing assistance, receiving Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supplement or other government assistance payments, or problems with the amount received;
8. A problem getting disability assistance or problems with the amount received;
9. A problem with immigration, refugee status or sponsoring a family member’s application to immigrate to Canada;
10. Contact with the police or other part of the criminal justice system, including being stopped, accused, charged, detained, arrested, or with the suspension of your criminal record or pardons;
11. Contact with the police or other part of the criminal justice system as a victim of or witness to a crime, excluding neighbourhood vandalism, property damage, threats or excessive noise;
12. A breakdown of your family or relationship such as a divorce or separation, excluding child custody problems;
13. A problem related to child custody or other problem involving parental responsibilities;
14. A will, or taking care of financial or health issues for a person who was unable to look after themselves;
15. Poor or incorrect medical treatment;
16. Civil court proceedings or a letter threatening legal action over a civil matter;
17. Being harassed1;
18. Being discriminated against;
19. Other problems.
Respondents were asked whether any of the problems or disputes they had experienced in this period were serious and not easy to fix and were then asked to identify their most serious problem.