On the first question, there are provinces now that have a juror support program in place, albeit these are limited in the number of sessions the ministry of the attorney general of that province provides to the juror.
In Ontario, for example, there's a toll-free counselling line available to jurors to call—a sort of triage. At that point, they're given four one-hour counselling sessions and then an additional four, if required, after that. In other provinces, like B.C. and Saskatchewan, there are similar programs. Quebec reimburses the individual for counselling sessions. Unfortunately, in other provinces there's little or nothing available to the juror through the province.
One of the recommendations in the justice committee report was that there'd be universal counselling available, in the sense that it's between the clinician and the juror to establish the length of time and the number of sessions required for that individual to get better. There would not be a time limit on that. I'm looking for leadership from the federal government, and perhaps this committee, to further compel that issue to ensure that provinces are providing adequate funding, and that there's a stable level of sessions and the like across the country, so that no juror is looking over the fence and saying, “Well, why is it that they have counselling and I don't, and I've been through this graphic, gruesome trial?”
To the second question, I think obviously there is a leadership role of educating the ministries, the Crown, and practitioners about the trauma and the responsibility that jurors have coming out of a courtroom and the like. Ordinary Canadians who've never had any experience with the criminal justice system are sitting down and undertaking huge responsibilities and seeing horrible evidence. For the most part, they come through it unscathed, but there are many who don't. I think there is a responsibility to provide better education to medical practitioners and the like.
I hope that answers your question.