REGINA -- The Saskatchewan government is making changes so chiefs and councillors of First Nations will no longer be eligible for jury duty.
The province says the move ensures consistency, because elected municipal officials including city councillors and mayors are currently excluded from jury selection.
The Ministry of Justice says the exclusion helps avoid any potential conflict of interest.
The government says it believes Saskatchewan is the first jurisdiction in Canada to exclude chiefs and band councillors from the process.
The changes are the result of a provincial review of the current system.
The government adds that it will start allowing spouses of elected municipal officers to be eligible for jury duty, as they were previously excluded.
Justice Minister Don Morgan says the change ensures officials are not unnecessarily shrinking a potential jury pool.
He also says that he hopes excluding First Nations chiefs and councillors will lead to greater understanding about serving on juries.
"We'll hope that the chiefs and councillors that are excluded will say to other band members, 'We're excluded. But we think because of that we need to make sure that people, when they do receive the notice, that they go and they attend," Morgan said Monday.
