CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR FIFTH ANNUAL JUSTICIA AWARDS

OTTAWA, May 6, 2004 - Nominations are being sought for the fifth annual Justicia Awards for Excellence in Journalism.

The Justicia Awards recognize outstanding broadcast and print stories that foster public awareness and understanding of any aspect of the Canadian justice system, or the roles played by institutions and participants in the legal system. They are sponsored by the Canadian Bar Association, the Law Commission of Canada and the Department of Justice Canada.

Two prize winners, one in each category, will be selected by an independent panel of judges. The awards will be presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian Bar Association in Winnipeg on August 14.

The deadline is June 1, 2004 for entries covering stories that were published or broadcast between May 16, 2003 and May 15th 2004. Entry forms may be obtained online at http://www.cba.org/cba/awards/justicia/ or by contacting Emily Porter, Canadian Bar Association, at 1-800-267-8860 ext. 155 (emilyp@cba.org).

Last year the prize for excellence in the print category was awarded to Kirk Makin of the Toronto Globe and Mail for his provocative January 11, 2003 article The scales of injustice, which critically examined zero tolerance policies in domestic abuse cases.

The judges also awarded a certificate of merit (print category) to a team of Toronto Star reporters for its series An investigation into race and crime .

The winner in the broadcast category was Tasha Kheiriddin, for her show on CPAC's Legal Talk, Métis Rights on Trial . It examined the Supreme Court of Canada's hearing in the Blais and Powley cases and whether Canada's Métis have special rights.

A certificate of merit was awarded to Danny Braün and Lucie Benoît of Radio-Canada's La Tribune du Québec for their radio documentary Toute la verité which examined how the jury system worked in the context of an actual murder case.

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