Seeing Justice Done: Increasing Indigenous Representation on Canadian Juries
Author | Keith Hogg |
Position | Obtained his JD degree from the University of Victoria Faculty of Law in spring 2020 and is currently articling with the BC Ministry of the Attorney General |
Pages | 51-70 |
APPEAL VOLUME 2651
*Keith Hogg obtained his JD degree from the University of Victoria Faculty of Law in spring 2020 and
is currently articling with the BC Ministry of the Attorney General. The views and opinions expressed
in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily represent those of the Government
of British Columbia. The author is deeply grateful for the meticulous editorial support of Frances
Miltimore and the rest of the Appeal board members and volunteers.
ARTICLE
SEEING JUSTICE DONE: INCREASING
INDIGENOUS REPRESENTATION ON
CANADIAN JURIES
Keith Hogg *
CITED: (2021) 26 Appeal 51
ABSTRACT
e underrepresentation of Indigenous people on Canadian juries threatens public condence
in the criminal justice system, particularly in cases involving Indigenous accused or defendants.
Despite being the subject of many high-prole legal cases, inquiries, and reports, the problem
endures today, and meaningful reform has been elusive. is paper considers the ways in
which Indigenous people are excluded at each of the three stages of the juror selection
process. It critiques the Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling on the issue in the 2015 case of R v
Kokopenace and concludes with several recommendations including that citizens be allowed to
volunteer for jury duty in order to remedy the race-based disparity in representation on juries.
APPEAL VOLUME 26 52
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 53
I. THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM .............................................................................................53
II. THE JURY ROLL .......................................................................................................................... 55
A. THE KOKOPENACE DECISION ......................................................................................... 55
B. SOUR CE LISTS ......................................................................................................................58
III. THE JU RY PANEL ........................................................................................................................59
A. JUROR QUALIFICATIONS ................................................................................................60
B. ECONOMIC BARRIER S .......................................................................................................61
C. GEOGRAPHIC AREA .......................................................................................................... 62
IV. THE T RIAL JURY .........................................................................................................................63
A . CHALLENGE TO TH E ENTIRE PANEL ...........................................................................64
B. CHALLENGE FOR CAUSE .................................................................................................65
C. PEREMPTORY CHALLENGES .......................................................................................... 67
V. VOLUNTEER JURORS ...............................................................................................................67
CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................................69
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