Finance committee  Thank you, honourable members of the finance committee, for inviting us to be here today. My name is Mark Farrant. I'm the founder of the Canadian Juries Commission, a not-for-profit representing Canadians serving on jury duty and on coroners' inquests. I founded this organizati

Finance committee  Despite its core function, jury duty has been vastly overlooked, undervalued, and underinvested in, and it has not kept pace with the modern world. Many jurors have expressed frustration at the lack of support for their service. Employers have felt inconvenienced, even suggesting

Finance committee  Jury duty is the most important civic duty left in Canadian society, and it is the last mandatory civic duty left in Canadian society. When you receive a summons, you are bound by law to respond to it. We want Canadians to welcome the opportunity to serve their communities in cou

Finance committee  And then you fulfill your civic duty and you don't have access to support.

Finance committee  Thank you, and thank you, honourable members of the finance committee, for the opportunity to appear before you once again. I would like to take a moment to recognize the incredible work of this committee during this global catastrophe and to thank you on behalf of all Canadians

Finance committee  I apologize. Supreme Court justices raised concerns about the timeliness of trials once courts resume, especially with respect to criminal and civil trials. I second these concerns, along with the expectations being placed upon potential jurors. Extremely resistant and unwilling

Finance committee  Thank you for the question. We have written to all of the attorneys general in the provinces and territories across the country and have heard back from a number of them about their deep concerns for jury duty when the courthouses reopen. There will be an enormous groundswell of

Finance committee  That's correct. There are scant resources available to jurors right across the country. There hasn't been a national organization until now—the organization that I founded—that speaks on behalf of jurors and represents them at the table in justice discussions and within the justi

Finance committee  There are inconsistencies in mental health services available to jurors across the country. There are still provinces that have no services at all available to jurors following their jury duty service. Also, there is inconsistent workplace support. Jury pay is not sufficient to

Justice committee  Thank you. Honourable Chair, vice-chairs, and members of the justice and human rights committee, thank you for the invitation to appear before you today as part of your important study on COVID-19 and its impact on the judicial system. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every

Justice committee  Thank you for the question. In speaking with attorneys general across the country, I have heard them express a willingness to implement some of those recommendations—some more than others—but they are also expressing the need for a federal investment going back to that report.

Justice committee  I absolutely agree with that statement. This is the third time we have tried to see this bill and this amendment to the Criminal Code pass. There is no reason it should not be added to Bill C-23. I have spoken to members across all parties. I've spoken to members of the judicia

Justice committee  Thank you, honourable committee chair and members of the committee, for inviting me here today. My name is Mark Farrant. I’m the founder and CEO of the Canadian Juries Commission, a national not-for-profit organization supporting and representing Canadians serving on jury duty

Justice committee  Thank you for your kind remarks. We've seen justices on the bench, once the verdict has been delivered and the jury is thanked and excused, actually delivering that message themselves. Justices are now slowly coming forward, especially in provinces where support programs are av

Justice committee  A lot of it is advocacy and work in the public sphere. Two weeks ago we were very pleased to have the first-ever jury duty appreciation week in Canada. That's an opportunity to thank jurors collectively, and to provide them with support and encouragement. That's an opportunity to