If called upon, would you report for jury duty?

Studies show that over 20% of Canadians recruited for jury duty don't even bother showing up when called.

Judges in Nova Scotia have gone so far as to begin fining people who don't appear in their courtrooms to perform their civic duty.

"We haven't been asked to do that much. When we are asked, we don't vote, we don't show up for jury duty. We are a flabby, sad generation," said Nova Scotia Supreme Court Chief Justice Joseph Kennedy in instructing sheriff's deputies to pursue absentee jurors in a recent case. "I'm going to get these people off of Facebook and into this courtroom."

At the same time, our lives are increasingly busy and it's difficult to commit the time and lost wages required to be a jury member. Sitting jury members get between $20 and $100 a day in Canada, and trials can go on for weeks or months.

If called upon, would you report for jury duty?

Here's what you said:

And here's what we said:

Thomas Bink: I’ve never been called for jury duty, but I would definitely do it if I could! Being in the media I’ve seen the process and written about the process, but I’ve never actually been a part of the process. I know some people consider it an annoyance and sure, I understand why people wouldn’t even bother showing up. Make no mistake, I don’t feel any sense of civic duty or anything, I just think it would be interesting to be a part of the process in delivering justice. Jury duty? Count me in!

Matthew Coutts: The Justice Deliverer. I like the sound of that. I can see you showing up for jury duty in a superhero costume. I actually have to agree. After years of covering Canadian courts and hearing about what a hassle jury duty is, I really do want the call. And I totally buy that it is my civic duty. I’m all about keeping my end of the bargain as a Canadian citizen. I begrudgingly do my taxes every second year (that’s right, isn’t it?) and concede that if/when I am called, I will show up. The only thing is, as a member of the media I might not be eligible. And lying about my profession seems like a bad way to get involved in the legal process.

Andy Radia: I'd probably do it just because I'm a law-abiding citizen, but only after I made every attempt to get out of it. Trials can be long, boring and tedious. You'd have to take a break from your life, your family, your work. For a lot of people that's just not feasible. I might be more motivated if they increased the compensation — in B.C., jurors get paid about $20 a day for the first 10 days.

Bink: Right, there is something to be said about the amount of time required, depending on the case. And I can see how people who are independent workers might not be able to make that commitment. But isn’t weeding ineligible people or people unable to commit the time part of the process? If you are sacrificing your livelihood they won’t force you to be a jury member, but you should at least show up and be counted. As for compensation … I get it, but that shouldn’t be the deciding factor in wanting to participate in the process.

Radia: I guess in theory that's true, Tom. But most of us live busy lives. To take an afternoon, a day or week off is a difficult thing to do — especially when you're not being compensated for it. I would rather have the opportunity to opt out; a 'jury do not call list' if you will. Again, I understand the importance of the civic duty. But I think for the vast majority of us, it's just not realistic. Has any jurisdiction ever tried 'professional juries' or tribunals?

Coutts: Aren’t professional juries just called judges? A professional jury is no longer one made up of our peers, it just becomes part of the system. Compensation is a big problem, but the last thing we need is for jury duty to suddenly become a job. You can’t have members wanting to drag out the process because they want that sweet, sweet jury payday. Ontario’s compensation is comparable to B.C.’s. I think Quebec has the best package — More than $100 a day plus bonuses for meals, mileage and hotel stays. You get much higher than that and you open a new can of worms. Keep the process 'civic minded.' If someone has a compelling reason why they can’t do their duty, they can be weeded out. It’s an imperfect process, but it is the best we’ve got. You don’t want to monetize justice.

Bink: And the bottom line is that you should at least show up when called. If you have a good reason for not being a jury member, you will be excused. But at least participate in the process.

So, what do you think? If you were called, would you attend jury duty? Do you think people who don't show up to perform their civic duty should be punished with fines?

Have your say in the comments area below.