Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Honourable senators, I rise today as the critic of Bill S-252, An Act respecting Jury Duty Appreciation Week, introduced by the Honourable Lucie Moncion on November 30, 2022.

As you already know, dear colleagues, the plight of jurors is a cause close to my heart. That is why it was very important for me to introduce Bill S-206 and have it passed during this Parliament. Bill S-206 seeks to support jurors who need psychological support after being traumatized during a criminal trial. I want to thank Senator Ataullahjan, who was the designated critic of Bill S-252, for yielding to me.

Jury duty is the cornerstone of our justice system. Thanks to your professionalism, your sensitivity and your sense of duty, Bill S-206 was passed and will finally allow countless jurors to receive the support they need to find some well-earned inner peace.

Together, we recognized that it is essential for jurors to be able to consult a mental health expert without fearing that the disclosure of confidential information acquired during a trial and mentioned at an appointment will be considered a criminal offence.

Colleagues, we set a good example by fulfilling our core mission of listening to and serving Canadians and hearing the voices of the most vulnerable.

Today, we are asked to address the issue of jurors once again, as we are at second reading of Bill S-252, which seeks to legislate a national jury duty appreciation week. The week would be commemorated annually, during the second week of May.

By sponsoring this bill, Senator Moncion hopes that this national jury duty appreciation week will become an event dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of the very difficult responsibilities that jurors have. That’s why one of the goals of the bill is to highlight the work they do within our justice system and to bolster their daily contribution to Canadian democracy, which is too often taken for granted.

I would like to read you a relevant quote from the preamble to Bill S-252:

And whereas designating a week dedicated to the appreciation of jury duty will highlight the work that jurors do and will help to educate citizens, organizations, the justice system as a whole, and the provincial and federal governments about the issues involved in fulfilling this civic duty. . . .

Honourable senators, I feel that raising Canadians’ awareness about this civic duty is essential, because many criminal trials take place in courts across the country every day, which means more and more citizens are being called to put their lives on hold in the service of justice.

This is not the first time I’ve talked about how difficult a juror’s experience during a criminal trial can be, how traumatic it can be, and how it can leave psychological scars. Jurors are often exposed to disturbing, graphic evidence.

During criminal trials, women and men who serve as jurors have to examine evidence pertaining to very violent crimes against women and children, domestic tragedies resulting in horrific murders, violent sexual assault, the outcome of scores being settled in criminal organizations and more.

No training exists that can adequately prepare these citizens to become members of a jury. Nobody can prepare for it. Individuals are called to carry out this onerous duty by chance alone, and chance can make people victims of the justice system even as they attempt to serve it.

If I may draw a deliberate comparison, let me remind you how important and necessary our national Victims and Survivors of Crime Week, established in 2006, is for helping victims and survivors assert their rights, improve support services and raise awareness of their plight among Canadians.

Serving as a juror in a difficult criminal trial is often traumatic. No preparation is possible, so we need to better support these people and increase awareness of their reality among Canadians, so that we can all be part of their recovery.

Honourable senators, I am sure that, like me, you see Senator Moncion’s bill as a good way to raise awareness among stakeholders in the justice system, and in the various levels of government, of the issues surrounding jury duty. I’m sure you all agree that it is essential to support them once their work is done.

In her speech at second reading, Senator Moncion acknowledged the tireless and challenging work of Mark Farrant, CEO of the Canadian Juries Commission, in advancing the cause of recognizing jurors’ contributions. Colleagues, I would like to quote from Senator Moncion’s speech on this subject:

Mark Farrant was a juror in a first-degree murder trial in 2014. He helped shed light on the need for more jury support in Canada. Drawn from his own experience, he identified the gaps in support provided to jurors and discovered that he was not alone. Mark was diagnosed with PTSD after the trial and struggled to find support in his home province of Ontario. In 2016, his advocacy helped prompt the Government of Ontario to launch a free counselling program for former jurors.

In 2017, to help move things forward at a national level, Mark brought to the attention of parliamentarians and government officials what has become known as the “12 angry letters.” In those letters, 12 former jurors chronicled their suffering and struggle to find support to deal with the trauma after exercising their jury duty.

In closing, it was not until this year, seven years after the trial for which Mark Farrant served as a juror, that a bill was finally passed to make it possible for jurors to seek psychological support if required.

To round out and improve our work on this cause, to more effectively help former jurors who are advocating for this well‑earned recognition, and to support future jurors who will serve the justice system in their turn, I am pleased to unequivocally support our colleague, Senator Moncion, in seeking to designate a jury duty appreciation week. Given that she herself was a juror at very difficult and traumatizing trial, as she told us during the study of Bill S-206 in this chamber, I want to again commend her courage and determination in achieving this objective, which is to show jurors all the consideration they deserve for the duty they perform every day in the service of justice in Canada.

Being the voice of those who have experienced trauma is not easy, I know, but it is vital to advancing human causes like this one. Having a voice like ours in the Senate is a privilege, and I am proud to be the voice for those who cannot be heard. Honourable senators, I am sure that after passing Bill S-206, you will follow suit by passing this bill quickly and unanimously. Thank you very much.