Sign-In
Cart
Justice for Sale: How Canada's Courts Punish the Poor and Betray the Charter
Paperback
Series: The Justice Reclaimed
ISBN13: 9781997624684
Publisher: Esther's Press
Published: Oct 16 2025
Pages: 342
Weight: 1.01
Height: 0.71 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Justice for Sale: How Canada's Courts Punish the Poor and Betray the Charter
by Laing Z. Matthews
For thirty-five years, Laing Z. Matthews sat inside Canada's courtrooms - not as a lawyer or judge, but as an interpreter, a witness, and eventually, a litigant. He translated for the voiceless, observed the rituals of justice, and learned the hard truth behind the robes: in Canada, the poor do not receive justice - they are processed by it.
Justice for Sale is the definitive exposé of class-based discrimination in the Canadian legal system - a work of lived authority, constitutional analysis, and moral clarity. Through first-hand accounts, legal history, and careful reasoning, Matthews reveals how Canada's courts routinely violate the Charter's promise of equality before and under the law.
From unaffordable counsel and gutted legal-aid programs to punitive cost orders and procedural traps, the system ensures that the poor lose long before judgment day. A single mother in family court, a worker dismissed without cause, a refugee facing deportation - all navigate a structure built not for truth, but for those who can pay to reach it.
The book unfolds in four sweeping parts:
Part I dismantles the myth that justice is blind, tracing how colonial law and professional elitism entrenched a class bias that persists to this day.
Part II exposes how the system actively crushes the poor through legal-aid failures, self-representation stigma, and economic punishment masquerading as procedure.
Part III reframes these injustices as constitutional betrayals, arguing that poverty itself must be recognized as a protected ground under Section 15 of the Charter.
Part IV offers a vision for reform - a blueprint for justice without wealth, drawn from comparative models in Europe and rooted in a single radical idea: that access to justice is not charity, but citizenship.
Across every page, Matthews writes with the precision of an insider and the fire of a reformer. His courtroom scenes - urgent, human, unforgettable - expose the quiet violence of form over fairness, of polish over truth. His legal reasoning is as rigorous as it is readable, bridging the worlds of law, politics, and public conscience.
This book does not beg for sympathy. It demands accountability - from the judiciary, the legislature, and the nation itself. It argues that democracy dies not when the powerful break the law, but when the poor cannot use it.
Justice for Sale is both an indictment and a roadmap: a call for constitutional renewal, professional humility, and moral courage. It speaks to every Canadian who has ever stood alone before the bench - and to those who still believe that law should protect the powerless, not serve the powerful.
Also from
Matthews, Laing Z.
Female Inner Alchemy: The Daoist Secret Art of Transmuting the Power of Women
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Tantra of Tibet: Karmamudrā, Sacred Eros, and the Cross-Cultural Science of Awakening
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Healing the Liver: Sacred Remedies for Anger and Stagnation: The Healing Handbooks: Esoteric Inner Medicines for Liver disease
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
The Body as Temple: Visualization, Spirit, and Healing in Daoist Meditation
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Vol. 1: The Binary Code of Heaven and Earth: A New Way to Read the I Ching
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Healing the Lung and Breath: Simple Spiritual Remedies for Grief and Letting Go
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Healing the Blood: Healing Handbooks:: Spiritual Remedies for Hypertension and Circulation
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Gates Between Worlds: Immortal Realms and Visionary Paths Across Cultures
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
108 Apparitions: True Paranormal Experiences from the World's Movie Stars
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Fed to Death: Death: How Comfort Kills Civilizations and the Sacred Hunger That Can Save Us
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
The Breath of Immortals: Daoist Secrets of Meditation, Stillness, and Transcendence
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Essential Secrets of the Five Thunders: Walking the Path of Lightning Between Heaven and Earth
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Tantra, Alchemy, and the Marriage of Opposites: From India to Iberia: Sacred Union Across the Spiritual Highways of the Old World
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Healing Allergy: Restoring Tolerance, Calming the Immune Storm, Rebuilding the Barrier
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Fasting Against Wrinkles: Reverse Cosmetic Aging, Clear Your Skin, and Awaken Sacred Beauty from Within
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Fasting Against Obesity: Shedding More Than Weight - Shedding What Bound You
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Fasting Against Heart Disease: Reverse High Blood Pressure, Clear Arteries, and Reclaim Your Life
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Day Trade with AI on House Money: The Seeker's Secret to Financial Freedom
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Soul, Breath, and the Golden Elixir: Essence of Seven Canons of the Celestial Satchel
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Fasting Against Spiritual Amnesia: How Emptiness Ignites the Light Within
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Visualizations, Secret Formulas, and Inner Diagrams: Essence of Seven Canons of the Celestial Satchel
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Vol. VI: The Net of Thunder: Courts, Contracts, and Time: The Canon of Daoist Magic Series
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Vigil Rites & Shedding the Body: Essentials, Registers, Discourses, and Hymns
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Sacred Geographies & the Mandate of Life: The Essence of Seven Canons of the Celestial Satchel
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Foundations of the Celestial Satchel: Essence of the Seven Canons of the Celestial Satchel
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Healing Depression - Lifting the Black Veil of Spirit Exhaustion: The Healing Handbooks Simple Spiritual Remedies for Modern Disease
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Flying Out of Body: Ancient and Modern Teachings on Soul Travel, Spirit Realms, and the Light Body
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
藝術與收藏品的代幣化
Matthews, Laing Z.
Paperback
Also in
General Law
Before All Is Said and Done: Practical Advice on Living and Dying Well
Miles, Pat
Watson, Suzanne
Hardcover
With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law Is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful
Greenwald, Glenn
Hardcover
Boy with a Knife: A Story of Murder, Remorse, and a Prisoner's Fight for Justice
Trounstine, Jean
Paperback
The U.S. Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader
Murray, Melissa
Hardcover
Department of Fate: The Promise, the Power, and the Collapse of America's Most Consequential Institution
Maddow, Rachel
Hardcover
So Ordered: An Originalist's View of the Constitution, the Court, and Our Country
Alito, Samuel A., Jr.
Hardcover
Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today's Supreme Court
Isgur, Sarah
Hardcover
Unreasonable Women: Three Stories of Violence, Imprisonment, and Extraordinary Survival
Van Der Leun, Justine
Hardcover
Discovering the Club: Piecing Together the Puzzling Network of Parental Pimping, Ritualistic Abuse, and Sex Trafficking
Clack, Cynthia L.
Paperback
Supremacy: How Rule by the Court Replaced Government by the People
Renan, Daphna
Bowie, Nikolas
Hardcover
North Carolina Notary Public Manual, 2016
North Carolina Department of the
Secretary of State
Secretary of State, Nc Department
Hardcover
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure; 2026 Edition: With Statutory Supplement
Michigan Legal Publishing Ltd
Paperback
Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability: Getting & Keeping Your Benefits
Morton III, David A.
Paperback
Social Security, Medicare & Government Pensions: Get the Most Out of Your Retirement and Medical Benefits
Matthews, Joseph
Paperback
The Price of Mercy: Unfair Trials, a Violent System, and a Public Defender's Search for Justice in America
Galvin Almanza, Emily
Hardcover
Our Minds Were Always Free: A History of How Black Brilliance Was Exploited--And the Fight to Retake Control
Davis, Lisa E.
Hardcover
Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York's Explosive '80s, and the Subway Vigilante Trial That Divided the Nation
Williams, Elliot
Hardcover
Searching for Jane Crow: Black Women and Mass Incarceration in America from the Auction Block to the Cell Block
Leflouria, Talitha L.
Hardcover
The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life
Cordalis, Amy Bowers
Hardcover
Medical Terminology Made Simple: Easily Learn, Memorize, and Pronounce Medical Terms
Temple, John, MD
Paperback
The Criminal Law Handbook: Know Your Rights, Survive the System
Bergman, Paul
Berman, Sara J.
Paperback
One in Five: Why Child Sexual Abuse Is Our Biggest Public Health Crisis--And What We Can Do to Stop It
Letourneau, Elizabeth J.
Malone, Luke
Hardcover
Captain's Dinner: A Shipwreck, an Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial That Changed Legal History
Cohen, Adam
Hardcover
Your Data Will Be Used Against You: Policing in the Age of Self-Surveillance
Ferguson, Andrew Guthrie
Hardcover
Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised in Brief, 3rd Edition
Balch, Thomas J.
Robert, Henry M., III
Honemann, Daniel H.
Paperback
Revenge for the Sixties: Sam Alito and the Triumph of the Conservative Legal Movement
Canellos, Peter S.
Hardcover
Getting Permission: Using & Licensing Copyright-Protected Materials Online & Off
Stim, Richard
Paperback
Oops...That's Illegal!: A Handbook for the Wildly Curious (and the Accidental Outlaw)
Mandell, Mike
Hardcover
The Public Domain: Find and Use Free Content for Your Website, Book, App, Music, Video, Art, and More
Secor, Glen
Paperback
The Pain Brokers: How Con Men, Call Centers, and Rogue Doctors Fuel America's Lawsuit Factory
Chamblee Burch, Elizabeth
Hardcover
When Companies Run the Courts: How Forced Arbitration Became America's Secret Justice System
Ballou, Brendan
Hardcover
Pink Crime: Fighting Against the Criminalization of Motherhood, Pregnancy, and Queer Identity
Beety, Valena
Hardcover
Living Trusts for Everyone: Why a Will Is Not the Way to Avoid Probate, Protect Heirs, and Settle Estates (Second Edition)
Sharp, Ronald Farrington
Paperback
The Trustee's Legal Companion: A Step-By-Step Guide to Administering a Living Trust
Buckley, Shaila
Hanks, Liza
Zolla, Carol Elias
Paperback
The Constitution Cannot Save Us: Why We Can No Longer Rely on Our Founding Document
Seidman, Louis Michael
Hardcover
Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes
Litman, Leah
Paperback
J.K. Lasser's Small Business Taxes 2027: Your Complete Guide to a Better Bottom Line
Weltman, Barbara
Paperback
The U.S. Constitution and Other Writings (Deluxe Leatherbound Edition)
Editors of Canterbury Classics
Hardcover
Federal Rules of Evidence; 2026 Edition (Casebook Supplement): With Advisory Committee notes, Rule 502 explanatory note, internal cross-references, qu
Michigan Legal Publishing Ltd
Paperback
The Constitution of the United States of America: The Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights
Founding Fathers
Paperback
Dig Me a Grave: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Who Seduced the South
Harpootlian, Richard A.
Assael, Shaun
Hardcover
Federal Rules of Evidence; 2026 Edition: With Internal Cross-References
Michigan Legal Publishing Ltd
Paperback
Is the Government Legally Killing Us?: Is the Evidence Obvious? How Fear of Death and the Illusion of Freedom Turn Us Into Accomplices to Evil
(Scott Schara), Grace's Dad
Paperback
No Loose Ends: The Smart & Slightly Morbid Guide to Estate Planning & End-Of-Life Tasks
Zuckerman, Adam
Hardcover
Represent Yourself in Court: Prepare & Try a Winning Civil Case
Bergman, Paul
Berman, Sara J.
Paperback
The Cases That Haunt Us: From Jack the Ripper to JonBenet Ramsey, the Fbi's Legendary Mindhunter Sheds Light on the Mysteries That Won't Go Away
Douglas, John
Olshaker, Mark
Paperback
Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida
King, Gilbert
Hardcover
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: How Legal Reformers Accidentally Broke America
Bagley, Nicholas
Hardcover
Redemption: Faith, Justice, and Sisterhood on Death Row (Large Print Edition)
Wright, Lawrence
Paperback
Stitching Freedom: A True Story of Injustice, Defiance, and Hope in Angola Prison
Tyler, Gary
Hardcover
Understanding Living Trusts(R): How You Can Avoid Probate, Keep Control, Save Taxes, and Enjoy Peace of Mind
Schumacher, Vickie
Paperback
Iras, 401(k)S & Other Retirement Plans: Strategies for Taking Your Money Out
Slesnick, Twila
Shea, Tracy
Paperback
Terrible Stuff Damaging Everybody: The True Story of Lies and Libel in Dominion V. Fox
Rosenberg, Ian
Hardcover
The Presidential Pardon: The Short Clause with a Long, Troubled History
Prakash, Saikrishna Bangalore
Hardcover
55 Successful Harvard Law School Application Essays, 2nd Edition: With Analysis by the Staff of the Harvard Crimson
Staff of the Harvard Crimson
Paperback
Until the Last Yoke Is Broken: The Constitutional Vision of Frederick Douglass
Rebeiro, Bradley N.
Hardcover
The Federalist: A Commentary on the Constitution of the United States
Madison, James
Jay, John
Hamilton, Alexander
Paperback
Little Book of Restorative Justice & Community: Reclaiming Connection and Responsibility for Our Neighbors
Morneau, Caitlin
Wilson, Sheryl
Paperback
The Only Living Trusts Estate Planning Guide: Protect Your Assets, Avoid Probate, Slash Taxes and Secure Your Heirs' Future.
Sterling, Thayer
Paperback
Every Californian's Guide to Estate Planning: Wills, Trust & Everything Else
Hanks, Liza W.
Paperback
Fireproof: A Five-Step Model to Take Your Law Firm from Unpredictable to Wildly Profitable
Nachazel, John
Morse, Mike
Hardcover
Hitler's American Model: The United States and the Making of Nazi Race Law
Whitman, James Q.
Paperback
Beyond the Body Farm: A Legendary Bone Detective Explores Murders, Mysteries, and the Revolution in Forensic Science
Bass, Bill
Jefferson, Jon
Paperback
Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes
Litman, Leah
Hardcover
38 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England, and a Nazi in Patagonia
Sands, Philippe
Hardcover
Contempt of Court: The Turn-Of-The-Century Lynching That Launched a Hundred Years of Federalism
Phillips, Leroy
Curriden, Mark
Paperback
Special Needs Trusts: Protect Your Child's Financial Future
Urbatsch, Kevin
Farinas Jones, Jessica
Paperback