What Is a Jury in Canada?

# What Is a Jury in Canada?

A jury is one of the most important features of the Canadian justice system. Jurors are ordinary citizens who decide whether someone accused of a serious crime is guilty or not guilty. Jury duty is one of the responsibilities of Canadian citizenship — and a reliably tested point on the citizenship exam. Here is everything you need to know.

A jury is a group of citizens randomly selected from the community to:

1. Listen to evidence at a trial.
2. Apply the law as instructed by the judge.
3. Decide guilt or innocence by unanimous verdict (in criminal cases).

A criminal jury in Canada has 12 members. Civil juries in some provinces have 6, but most civil trials are decided by a judge alone.

To serve on a jury, you must:

• Be a Canadian citizen.
• Be 18 years old or older.
• Be a resident of the province.
• Be able to understand the proceedings in English or French (depending on the trial).

Some people are exempt from jury duty by law:

• Judges and lawyers
• Police officers and prison staff
• Sitting MPs, senators, and other elected officials
• Members of the Canadian Armed Forces in some cases
• People with serious criminal convictions

Permanent residents and other non-citizens cannot serve on juries — that is why jury duty is listed as a responsibility of citizenship in Discover Canada.

The selection process happens in stages:

1. Provincial voter lists — names are randomly drawn from voter registers.
2. Summons in the mail — selected names receive a notice to appear at court on a specific date.
3. Jury panel — those who appear form a "panel" of potential jurors.
4. Selection at trial — at each trial, lawyers question and challenge potential jurors. Both Crown and defence can object to specific candidates without giving a reason (a few times each — called "peremptory challenges" — though Parliament limited these in recent reforms). They can also challenge for cause if a juror seems biased.
5. Final 12 — the 12 selected jurors are sworn in.

A criminal jury must reach a unanimous verdict — all 12 must agree:

• All 12 vote guilty → conviction.
• All 12 vote not guilty → acquittal.
• Cannot agree → hung jury. A new trial may be ordered.

This unanimity rule is a high bar — it means even one juror with a reasonable doubt can prevent conviction. That is the presumption of innocence in action — see [What Does "Presumed Innocent Until Proven Guilty" Mean in Canada?](/blog/presumed-innocent-until-proven-guilty-canada).

In criminal law:

• Most serious offences with a maximum sentence of 5+ years can be tried by judge alone or by judge and jury — the accused chooses.
• Murder trials typically use a jury (with some exceptions).
• Less serious offences (Crown elects "summary conviction") are tried by a judge alone.

In civil law:

• Most civil trials are decided by a judge alone.
• Some provinces allow civil juries for cases like personal injury or defamation.
• Civil juries usually have 6 members and need a majority decision.

A typical jury day:

1. Sit and listen — jurors cannot ask questions; they take notes.
2. Hear evidence — witnesses, documents, expert testimony.
3. Hear closing arguments from Crown and defence.
4. Receive the judge's instructions — the judge explains the relevant law.
5. Deliberate — jurors retire to discuss in private. They cannot leave or contact anyone until they reach a verdict.
6. Deliver the verdict — the foreperson announces "guilty" or "not guilty" in open court.

Jurors are paid a small daily allowance and their employers must give them time off.

Discover Canada lists serving on a jury as one of the responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, alongside:

• Obeying the law
• Taking responsibility for yourself and your family
• Voting in elections
• Helping others in the community
• Protecting Canada's heritage and environment

See [Responsibilities of a Canadian Citizen](/blog/responsibilities-canadian-citizen-list).

Avoiding jury duty without a valid reason is a legal offence — judges can fine or hold in contempt people who fail to appear.

Common citizenship-test questions on juries:

• What is a jury? *(A group of citizens who decide guilt or innocence)*
• How many jurors are on a criminal jury in Canada? *(12)*
• Is jury duty a responsibility of citizenship? *(Yes)*
• Who can be a juror? *(A Canadian citizen, 18 or older, resident of the province)*

For more on the justice system, see [The Canadian Justice System Explained](/blog/canadian-justice-system-explained).

Try our [free practice test](/practice-test) — it covers juries and the rest of the justice system in the same format you will see on test day.