Bill S-226

Jury Duty Appreciation Week Act

An Act respecting Jury Duty Appreciation Week

Status

Second reading (House), as of April 24, 2026

Subscribe to a feed (what's a feed?) of speeches and votes in the House related to Bill S-226.

Summary

This is from the published bill.

This enactment designates the second week of May in each and every year as “Jury Duty Appreciation Week”.

Similar bills

S-252 (44th Parliament, 1st session) Jury Duty Appreciation Week Act

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other S-226s:

S-226 (2021) An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 and the Parliament of Canada Act (Speaker of the Senate)
S-226 (2021) Frozen Assets Repurposing Act
S-226 (2016) Law Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law)
S-226 (2015) Fairness for All Canadian Taxpayers Act (measuring the tax gap to fight overseas tax evasion)

Debate Summary

line drawing of robot

This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.

Bill S-226, the Jury Duty Appreciation Week Act, proposes establishing the second week of May each year to honor and raise public awareness of the essential role, sacrifices, and challenges faced by jurors within the Canadian justice system.

Conservative

  • Supports Bill S-226: The Conservative Party supports designating the second week of May as jury duty appreciation week, recognizing the profound role ordinary citizens play in upholding the justice system and democracy.
  • Recognizing juror sacrifices: The party highlights the mental, emotional, and financial burdens jurors encounter during service. They argue that formal recognition is a necessary step towards better supporting juror well-being and mental health.
  • Enhancing public education: The Conservatives believe a dedicated week will help educate Canadians about the jury process, demystifying their essential role and strengthening public confidence in the fairness of the legal system.
  • Strengthening democratic participation: Members emphasize that jury service is a direct form of democratic participation. They believe the bill reinforces the connection between citizens and the administration of justice.

Bloc

  • Supports Bill S-226: The Bloc supports designating a Jury Duty Appreciation Week to recognize jury duty as a vital civic responsibility that is central to representative democracy and the administration of justice.
  • Recognizes emotional costs: The party highlights the personal and emotional burdens jurors face, noting that public recognition is necessary to acknowledge their exposure to disturbing evidence and the subsequent impact on their mental health.
  • Respects provincial jurisdiction: Support is contingent on the bill remaining a symbolic gesture. The Bloc maintains that the administration of justice and practical juror support must remain under the exclusive jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces.
  • Promotes civic engagement: The bill is seen as a tool for raising public awareness to ensure juries remain representative and to counter the perception of jury duty as a nuisance or burden.

Liberal

  • Support for Bill S-226: The Liberal Party supports designating the second week of May as Jury Duty Appreciation Week to recognize and celebrate the essential sacrifices made by jurors to uphold the Canadian justice system.
  • Addressing juror trauma: Members highlight the significant mental health risks jurors face, including PTSD and vicarious trauma from exposure to graphic evidence, and advocate for comprehensive trauma-informed programs and support services.
  • Reducing financial and workplace barriers: The party emphasizes the need to address financial burdens, low compensation, and employer harassment to ensure that jury duty does not cause undue hardship or job insecurity for citizens.
  • Education and jury diversity: The bill serves as a tool for public education about the judicial system and highlights the importance of improving jury diversity to ensure panels are truly representative of Canadian communities.
Was this summary helpful and accurate?

Jury Duty Appreciation Week ActPrivate Members' Business

April 24th, 2026 / 2:25 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec

The time provided for the consideration of Private Members' Business has now expired, and the order is dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence on the Order Paper.

It being 2:30 p.m., the motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until Monday at 11 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 2:30 p.m.)