Opposition parties are pressuring the Quebec government to act quickly before more criminal cases are tossed out of court.

Across Canada judges have been dismissing criminal cases in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that justice delayed is justice denied.

Justice Minister Stephanie Vallée said it is causing problems in Quebec.

"Nobody is happy with the fact that people can get out of a situation only because of procedural issues," she said.

The highest court in the land ruled that provincial court cases should wrap up within 18 months of a suspect being charged, and gave a 30-month deadline for superior court cases.

One of the highest-profile suspects to go free in Quebec is Salvatore Cazzetta, the Hells Angel accused of gangsterism and conspiracy to commit fraud.

In September the case against him was dismissed when his defence lawyers convinced Judge James Brunton that six years between an arrest and the end of a trial was an unreasonably long delay.

But there are many more cases taking years to complete, including the case against the man accused of causing the Lac-Megantic disaster.

"We are almost at the point where the public is losing confidence," said PQ leader Jean-Francois Lisée.

"222 different trials are at risk, one more today. There's going to be more today, more tomorrow, the next day. It's like an avalanche of accused people that want to get out of jail free."

CAQ leader Francois Legault is calling on the premier to take matters into his own hands.

"At the end of the day, the leader is Mr. Couillard so he should make sure that we have good answers and a good plan," said Legault.

Last month Vallée announced a working group was tackling the issue, but admitted it will take time.

"There's a lot of things that need to be done. We have to change the whole culture, the way we do things, the way we address files. For example, how many more attorneys are required, how many more judges are required, how many more people are required? That evaluation has to be done, with regards to the new ways we need to do things," said Vallée.

Meanwhile Couillard said it is a top priority for the provincial government, and he is planning to give the Crown prosecutor's office more resources to bring the situation under control as quickly as possible.