An Act respecting Jury Duty Appreciation Week

Bill S-226 in 45-1 establishes the week beginning on the second Monday of May as Jury Duty Appreciation Week. Approximately 25,000 Canadians serve as jurors annually across federal Tax Court of Canada and provincial-court cases involving criminal trials and serious civil matters. Federal jury pay is administered at $30 to $100 per day depending on the jurisdiction (lower than the federal minimum wage of $17.30 per hour when calculated on an hourly basis). The federal Bill C-65 of 42-1 (Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Act, S.C. 2018, c. 22) had earlier strengthened workplace protections for federally regulated jurors. The bill recognizes the civic-duty importance of jury service. Reintroduced as 45-1 S-226 after 44-1 Bill S-252 did not pass third reading.