Evidence of meeting #78 for Justice and Human Rights in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was jurors.
A video is available from Parliament.
Manager, Operational Support, Court Services Division, Ministry of the Attorney General, Ontario Juror Support Program
It is up to the discretion of the judicial official to determine how much, if any, information is going to be shared with those jurors at the commencement of trial.
Liberal
Gagan Sikand Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Okay. Then you mentioned that jurors are provided with eight sessions of an hour each.
Manager, Operational Support, Court Services Division, Ministry of the Attorney General, Ontario Juror Support Program
Yes, that's right.
Liberal
Gagan Sikand Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Is there a limit on this, if they require further sessions?
Manager, Operational Support, Court Services Division, Ministry of the Attorney General, Ontario Juror Support Program
There's no limit on it, necessarily. It is a case-by-case basis. If we receive information from Morneau Shepell indicating that somebody requires further support, we are willing to consider those circumstances and address them accordingly.
Liberal
Manager, Operational Support, Court Services Division, Ministry of the Attorney General, Ontario Juror Support Program
Yes. As I mentioned, the usage indicates that no one has even come close to that amount.
Liberal
Gagan Sikand Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Okay. Were the 24 individuals that you mentioned all from the same trials?
Manager, Operational Support, Court Services Division, Ministry of the Attorney General, Ontario Juror Support Program
No.
Liberal
Gagan Sikand Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Okay. Thank you very much.
I have one quick question for Shannon.
Following up on what Mr. MacGregor said about the level of service and due to the remoteness of your court services, do you feel you get the same level, or administer the same level, of service to the jurors afterwards?
Manager, Court Operations, Yukon Court Services
I think we do. In the Yukon, it is a very new program. We have only had one trial since we rolled this program out. From that trial, we know that two of the 12 jurors accessed this support. Like our colleagues in Alberta and Ontario, we're very much open to feedback and learning what we can do to provide even more support to jurors.
Liberal
Gagan Sikand Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Was that by way of video conference or was that in person?
Manager, Court Operations, Yukon Court Services
Sorry; I do not know the method by which they accessed the sessions.
Liberal
Gagan Sikand Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
The medium doesn't really matter. I was just curious.
Thank you.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather
Thank you very much.
I know it's a very embryonic program, but if you have any evaluation materials you use for people after they've had counselling services or after they've made use of the program, we'd appreciate seeing them, as well as any stats you may have, even though it's only been one trial.
By the way, I thought the other document you provided explaining to jurors what the potential signs were of mental distress was excellent and should definitely be regarded as a best practice.
Go ahead, Mr. Cooper.
Conservative
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
Ms. Bielecka, on the information provided to jurors about accessing services, you said they receive a brochure that provides contact information for counselling. Is anything beyond the brochure provided to jurors to make them aware of the programs and services available to them?
Manager, Operational Support, Court Services Division, Ministry of the Attorney General, Ontario Juror Support Program
We felt that it was timely.... In terms of accessing the services, people will be most aware of their need either during the trial or immediately after it. What we do is provide this information in the brochure. The brochure doesn't just contain the contact information and the phone number; it also provides information on the impact of jury duty, similar to what is done in Alberta and Yukon. It outlines for them some of the signs and symptoms they may experience and gives instructions on how to contact the service right away.
Conservative
Manager, Operational Support, Court Services Division, Ministry of the Attorney General, Ontario Juror Support Program
Yes, I will leave these for everybody.
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
My question is very broad, but it could give us some orientation. I know the program, but what is the consultation, exactly? What is it exactly that you tell people? Just give us some brief info on what exactly you do in your counselling. What does it entail?
Manager, Operational Support, Court Services Division, Ministry of the Attorney General, Ontario Juror Support Program
Sir, could you please clarify your question? Do you want to know what exactly the counselling entails?
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
Yes. I know every individual and every case will be different, but what are the repetitive tools you guys use in communicating with the people calling on you to get some help?
Manager, Operational Support, Court Services Division, Ministry of the Attorney General, Ontario Juror Support Program
Claude, can you take that on behalf of Morneau Shepell, please?
Ontario Juror Support Program
With regard to the session, the juror will be meeting with a master's-prepared counsellor. The support we provide is one of short-term focus. We will be supporting the juror in the needs they present. In addition to evaluating in that first session, we will be assessing what's required and building a plan the juror can use.
