U of T law prof feels jury reform possible with federal leadership

Is it time for jury reform in Canada?

That’s one of the questions an upcoming lecture at the University of Saskatchewan will focus on in the wake of outcry from the public and Indigenous leaders about the second-degree murder trial of Gerald Stanley, who was acquitted in the shooting death of 22-yearold Colten Boushie by a jury that contained no visibly Indigenous people.

“It brings to light issues about how we select juries in Canada,” said Kent Roach, a law professor and Prichard-Wilson Chair of Law and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.

After the Stanley verdict, hundreds of people across Canada rallied in support of Boushie’s family and called for reforms in the justice system.

Members of the family, who raised concerns about jury selection, met with several ministers, including Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, to talk about their lack of faith in the justice system.

Roach will travel to Saskatoon to deliver the lecture at 1 p.m. at the MLT Aikins Lecture Theatre on Wednesday. He said he plans to focus on efforts to ensure more Indigenous people and minorities are part of jury pools and potential changes to the process by which jurors are challenged and agreed upon by lawyers.

He said the “time is now” if people want to get engaged with issues of jury reform. He feels “change is possible,” he said.

“Especially if there is federal leadership on this issue. I also think that jury reform — so that we have juries where there is more public confidence they are selected in a fair and impartial manner — can also respond to some of the unfortunate polarization that we see around these issues.”

Following the verdict, WilsonRaybould said her thoughts were with the Boushie family, noting that the Canadian government is listening.

“I truly feel your pain and I hear all of your voices. As a country we can and must do better,” she said in a social media post.