The Toronto Star reports that a committee tasked with getting more First Nations people on the rolls for jury duty

The Toronto Star reports that a committee tasked with getting more First Nations people on the rolls for jury duty is set to recommend that volunteers from the Aboriginal community become part of a list to hear inquests. The solution is meant to address the lack of Aboriginal people in the make-up of juries within Ontario, though it doesn’t address the imbalance on juries in civil and criminal proceedings. Former Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci wrote in his report First Nations Representation on Ontario Juries that Aboriginal people are reluctant to sit on juries because of a lack of trust in the justice system. But, the way inquest juries work, asking questions and providing recommendations, would be a good fit, from a traditional perspective. “My experience in speaking with First Nations individuals was that, while they expressed reluctance to engage in the ‘judging’ involved in being on a criminal jury, they were interested to learn about how the coroner’s jury process works and expressed interest in becoming involved,’’ the former chief justice said.