If we look at the makeup of the prison population, we see that indigenous persons and racialized persons are over-represented, as well as people with mental health issues. Some of the stats in Ontario say that three out of four inmates in Ontario have mental health issues, so we know that those who are seeking review.... The staff who are going to be doing the review must have some kind of training, whether it is bias training or other kinds of training that allow them to see different perspectives on these issues. This is because we know there is inherent bias that infects our justice system.
While all of the initiatives that have been taken to modernize our system and become more aware of implicit bias are to be commended, we're not there yet. We know these things still impact our system, and we know that juries, especially in small communities, are not necessarily representative of the population.
In terms of how we attract those people, that will have to be something.... Staffing the commission in a way that's representative will probably require a robust appointment process that asks people to demonstrate their interest, knowledge and education in these issues so that we can have real perspective and a diversity of perspectives. Perhaps there could be a stakeholder committee that leads to this appointment process.