Every Canadian Citizen Who Pledges Allegiance To Our Flag.....

...should be in the jury "pool."

Exclusion of natives from juries serious, says NDP Leader

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JOE FRIESEN

From Monday's Globe and Mail

September 15, 2008 at 4:48 AM EDT

Native people have been left out of jury selection for years, and there's great reluctance within the Ministry of the Attorney-General to do anything about it, according to Ontario New Democratic Party Leader Howard Hampton.

Mr. Hampton, a lawyer who represents the Kenora-Rainy River riding, the northwestern portion of Ontario, said the consequences of the systematic exclusion of native people from jury selection are very serious.

"The jury system calls for a jury of one's peers. All of one's peers, not a selective peerage," he said.

Mr. Hampton said the recent revelation that only 44 people from native communities are considered for jury selection in the Kenora district, which has a significant aboriginal population, "calls into question the fundamental fairness of the jury system."

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