Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in the Ontario Bar Association’s Elementary School Mock Trial program, with the grade six class at Viscount Alexander Public School.

For the last 16 years, the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) has conducted a mock trial program for grade six students in schools throughout Ottawa, with the assistance of volunteer lawyers and law students. The program is one of several programs the OBA runs in conjunction with Law Day. Law Day is a national celebration of the signing of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The purpose of Law Day is to empower the public through information about the law and the justice system, as well as the role of lawyers and judges.

The Mock Trial program is presented on two separate days. The first session serves as an introduction to the Canadian criminal justice system, the Charter, and the role of the various participants in the justice system. The second session consists of holding a mock trial, in which the students themselves get to take on the various roles involved in a criminal trial, such as Crown prosecutor, accused, defence attorney, court clerk, jury member, witness, courtroom artist, and journalist.

The students in the grade six class at Alexander Viscount Public School impressed me with their passion and curiosity. During the first session, their insightful questions about the justice system had us going over our allotted time. The students identified many of the issues and tensions that are at the heart of our criminal justice system. Concepts I thought would be too esoteric turned out to be major points of discussion.

Given such a great first session, it was no surprise that the mock trial itself was a big success. No doubt this success was also due to the efforts of the students’ teacher, who had the class room set up just like a real courtroom when we arrived. The students clearly prepared diligently. Everyone dressed up (including the accused and his sister, who were aliens from another planet – they wore impressive face paint and gold sequined costumes). The lawyers made passionate opening and closing submissions. The witnesses gave thorough testimony. The bailiff and court clerk made sure everything ran smoothly, and the courtroom artists documented the proceedings with skill. The jury deliberated carefully and reached a unanimous verdict: not guilty! I look forward to reading the journalists’ perspective on the trial and its outcome.

It was a fantastic experience, one I hope to repeat in the future. Hopefully the students enjoyed the process and learned a bit more about the field of law.

The Canadian Bar Association (CBA) started Law Day in 1983. In Ontario, Law Day is a collaborative project organized through the partnership of the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) and legal and education organizations and institutions including the Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN), the Law Society of Upper Canada as well as the Association of French Speaking Jurists of Ontario (AJEFO). For more information, visit www.oba.org/LawDayOntario.