Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Thank you all for being here today and sharing your stories. Your testimony was very compelling and I think it has left an impression on all of us around this table.
We certainly appreciate all that you have done, not only in your jury duty service, but also in taking the time to prepare for this, to come, and to give thoughtful suggestions about how we can improve this for other people who will be jurors in the future. I think it's a testament to your feelings for our country not only to have gone through the jury duty service and to have taken it seriously but also to have taken the time to come here. I appreciate that.
In Nova Scotia where I'm from, I know there are instances of people not showing up for jury duty. The courts have commented that it is an extremely important part of our judicial system. As governments, we need to make sure that we're there to support jurors, so that when they are doing the honourable thing and doing their civic duty, they know they have the support and that we will have their back.
I hope out of this will follow constructive recommendations based on your testimony and the testimony of those witnesses who will follow.
Mr. Farrant, I'd like to start with you. It was touched on a moment ago that some cases will more likely result in the need for support for jurors than will others, particularly gruesome cases, like what you have described here today.
Do you have any suggestions as to how the courts would differentiate between certain cases? Would there be any benefit to, in certain cases, having a mandatory check-in with the jurors on the way out, almost like a post-jury interview, so to speak, to ensure that not only are they aware of all of the services but also that, if they do have problems in the future, there are supports they can come back and utilize?