Advisory group established to examine Aboriginal justice issues

Representatives from Aboriginal communities, as well as the Law Society of Upper Canada and Legal Aid Ontario, are part of a 12-member advisory group set up in response to a recommendation of former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci’s 2013 report on Aboriginal representation on juries. Iacobucci found the relationship between the justice system and First Nation was “quite frankly in crisis.” The report highlighted the estrangement of Aboriginal communities from the justice system despite being incarcerated at a much higher rate than the general population. David McRobert, a member of the Ontario Bar Association’s Aboriginal law section, says for the committee to be effective it needs to look at the broader problems facing First Nations communities. “Deeper social change” is needed, said McRobert.