Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don't think I'll be that long.
I would like to thank the committee again for my invitation today.
By way of introduction, my name is Mark Mossey. I am employed as the executive legal officer to Chief Justice Neil Sharkey of the Nunavut Court of Justice. I have lived, raised a family, and worked in Iqaluit since 2010. Prior to joining the Nunavut Court of Justice in 2015, I was a poverty lawyer with Maliiganik Tukisiiniakvik Legal Services, the legal aid clinic here on Baffin Island. During my time in Nunavut, I have also served as president of both the Law Society of Nunavut and the Nunavut branch of the Canadian Bar Association.
As articulated in my written brief previously submitted to the committee, I felt it necessary to draw on the experiences of fellow justice stakeholders in order to paint an accurate and compelling picture for the committee of some of the stresses placed on jurors as a result of the unique challenges Nunavut poses as a jurisdiction. While jurors in Nunavut are tasked with the same complex and emotionally taxing burden as southern jurors—I should note my reference to “southern” in this context is to Canadian jurisdictions below the 60th parallel—Nunavummiut perform jury duty in much different conditions.
It was interesting, though not surprising, that the responses I received from justice stakeholders to my request for input on this subject were consistent in their themes. The responses told a universal tale of suboptimal conditions for jurors to deliberate; financial and child care burdens being placed on jurors; and an emotional toll being taken on by jurors in small, isolated communities, where entire populations sometimes only total into the hundreds. They are asked to sit in judgment of fellow community members who are often friends, acquaintances, or even relatives.
Jury fatigue and the fallout communities are forced to deal with alone, after a jury convicts a community member and the court party immediately leaves to head home to Iqaluit, were also identified as stress situations for Nunavut’s jurors. As to not simply repeat what was submitted in my brief, I think it is imperative to draw attention to how Nunavut’s unique challenges, from geography to climate, isolation to poverty, have an exponential impact on stresses already built into the jury system in Nunavut. I am sure that any assistance to jurors that may result from this committee’s work will be greatly appreciated by both jurors and justice stakeholders alike.
I thank the committee again for the opportunity to appear before you today. I'll be happy to answer any questions that I may be able to assist with.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.