First Nations representation on juries

The Attorney General has appointed 11 people to a committee that will help enhance First Nation representation on juries. The committee will be co-chaired by Alvin Fiddler, deputy grand chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, and Irwin Glasberg, assistant deputy Attorney General, and will have the mandate to implement the recommendations on Frank Iacobucci’s report, First Nations Representation on Ontario Juries. The majority of members on the committee are First Nations, as well as current and former judges, lawyers and policymakers. “This will be necessary in order to bring remedy to all affected First Nations across Ontario, who continue to be largely overrepresented in the Ontario justice system, yet underrepresented on Ontario juries,” stated Acting Regional Chief Patrick Madahbee, also grand council chief of the Anishinabek Nation, in a news release issued by the Chiefs of Ontario. The ministry has also committed to implementing Iacobucci’s recommendation to establish an advisory group that will provide the Attorney General with advice on broader justice issues relating to First Nation people in the justice system. This committee is expected to be established this fall.