Justice committee  Thank you very much for your comments. It has been a long road, hasn't it? The report had 11 recommendations, and this bill was derived from that report. In fact, the Canadian Juries Commission was born from that report. We took it upon ourselves because there was limited actio

Justice committee  I would anticipate that that would be the case. The idea is that we've spoken to jurors who for 20 years have been suffering with this sense of shame and guilt about an acquittal that it was impossible to make go any other way, and they take a sense of personal ownership for it.

Justice committee  Under this bill, no, there weren't discussions along those lines, but we are working with the National Judicial Institute. We've done some plenaries with them, and we have every reason to believe that we will be producing some educational programs for justices and other actors in

Justice committee  In some ways, Canada is actually the leader in post-trial support and mental health support. In most American states, there is no support at all for jurors post trial, and every state is very uniquely different in the way it manages jurors. Canadians have taken leadership in imp

Justice committee  We're very pleased and honoured to be working with the Attorney General of British Columbia and the B.C. Supreme Court through funding from the Department of Justice on our juror support pilot project. We are training B.C. sheriffs, who manage jurors on a day-to-day basis. We're

Justice committee  Thank you very much for your kind comments. I don't think this bill would impact the jury's ability to deliberate as instructed, both through the charge from the justice and through the rules of the court. Jurors follow instructions to the letter, and they take their role extrem

Justice committee  Thank you for your comments. They're greatly appreciated. We've been advocating for a national standard for post-trial support for jurors, as it is a federal mandate that jury duty be administered by the province. Thus no one should have to look over the fence at the province n

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

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  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 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  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

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

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