Clifford Kokopenace jury roll case goes to Supreme Court – CBC
Manslaughter conviction for First Nations man was tossed after jury roll concerns raised
Oct 06, 2014
A case before the Supreme Court of Canada on Monday will determine how far Ontario must go to include First Nations people in the province’s jury rolls.
Ontario is appealing a decision from its top court that quashed a manslaughter conviction for a First Nations man because of under-representation of aboriginal people in its jury process,
“When you go to a provincial jail like in Kenora, you will see that the majority of those housed in those institutions are First Nations,” noted Nishnawbe Aski Nation deputy grand chief Alvin Fiddler, who sees a link between the lack of First Nations people on juries and their over-representation in jails.
