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Attorney General (Ontario)

{{Short description|Attorney general for the Canadian province of Ontario}}

{{Third party|date=January 2025}}

{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox Political post

|post = Attorney General

|body = Ontario

|insignia = Tbs-visualidentity-COA-Blk_(3)_copy.svg

|insigniasize = 200px

|insigniacaption =

|imagesize =

|image = Doug Downey.png

|alt= =

|incumbent = Doug Downey

|incumbentsince = June 20, 2019

|department = Executive Council of Ontario

|style = The Honourable

|termlength = At His Majesty’s Pleasure

|inaugural = John Sandfield Macdonald as Attorney General of Ontario

|website = [https://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/about/ag/ Office of the Attorney General]

}}

Image:Ontario MAG building.jpeg]]

The Attorney General of Ontario is the chief legal adviser to His Majesty the King in Right of Ontario and, by extension, the Government of Ontario. The attorney general is a senior member of the Executive Council of Ontario (the cabinet) and oversees the Ministry of the Attorney General – the department responsible for the oversight of the justice system in the province of Ontario. The attorney general is an elected Member of Provincial Parliament who is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario on the constitutional advice of the Premier of Ontario. The Ministry is the largest justice system in Canada and one of the largest in North America.

Doug Downey was appointed attorney general of Ontario on 20 June 2019, replacing Caroline Mulroney.

Authority

The attorney general has the authority to represent the provincial government in court personally, but this task is almost always delegated to crown attorneys, or to crown counsel in civil cases. Both Ian Scott and Roy McMurtry, who were prominent courtroom lawyers before entering politics, acted for Ontario in constitutional appeals before the Supreme Court of Canada.[http://canlii.ca/t/1mzjg 1976 Reference re: Anti-Inflation Act], [http://canlii.ca/t/1mjlc 1981 Reference re: Resolution to amend the Constitution], and [http://canlii.ca/t/1ftms Reference re Bill 30, An Act to Amend the Education Act ]

Most holders of the office have been practising lawyers. Marion Boyd was the only attorney general who was not a lawyer until Caroline Mulroney's appointment. Although Mulroney studied and briefly practised law in the United States, she is not legally able to practise law in Canada.

Responsibilities

The Ministry of the Attorney General delivers and administers a wide range of justice services, including:

  1. administering approximately 115 statutes;
  2. conducting criminal proceedings throughout Ontario;
  3. providing legal advice to, and conducting litigation on behalf of, all government ministries and many agencies, boards and tribunals;
  4. providing advice on, and drafting, all legislation and regulations; and
  5. coordinating and administering court services throughout Ontario.

The Ontario Crown Attorney's Office, the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee, the Office of the Children's Lawyer (formerly called the Official Guardian), and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) all fall within the Ministry's responsibilities. The Ministry also partially funds Legal Aid Ontario, which is administered by an independent board and also receives funding through the Law Foundation of Ontario and from the federal government.

Portfolios

In 2008, Office of the Independent Police Review Director (IPRD) was established under the authority of the AG, as a civilian body with powers invested through Public Inquiries Act to investigate complaints about municipal police forces and the Ontario Provincial Police.{{Cite web| title = Gerry McNeilly Nominated As Director Of New Police Review System| work = news.ontario.ca| access-date = December 30, 2018| url = https://news.ontario.ca/mag/en/2008/05/gerry-mcneilly-nominated-as-director-of-new-police-review-system.html |date=May 2, 2008}}{{Cite news| title = Police complaint director thrust into limelight |work=National Post| url = https://nationalpost.com/posted-toronto/police-complaint-director-thrust-into-limelight |quote=As the province's newly minted Independent Police Review Director, Mr. McNeilly is tasked with handling all public complaints against police in Ontario |first=Kenyon |last=Wallace |date=July 24, 2010 |access-date=December 30, 2018}}{{Cite report| pages = 208 | last = McNeilly| first = Gerry |url=http://oiprd.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/OIPRD-BrokenTrust-Final-Accessible-E.pdf | title = Broken Trust: Indigenous People and the Thunder Bay Police Service |date=December 2018 |access-date=30 December 2018 |publisher=Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) |location=Toronto, Ontario}}

Following the 2013 release of former Supreme Court judge Frank Iacobucci's report on the relationship between Aboriginal peoples and the Ontario justice system,{{Cite news| last = Talaga| first = Tanya| title = Ontario's justice system in a 'crisis' for aboriginals: Frank Iacobucci report| work = The Toronto Star| location = Toronto| access-date = December 30, 2018| date = February 2, 2013| url = https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/02/26/ontarios_justice_system_in_a_crisis_for_aboriginals_frank_iacobucci_report.html}} a position of deputy attorney general with responsibility for Aboriginal issues was created.{{Cite news|url=http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/5606/A-new-portfolio.html|title=A new portfolio|last=Guttsman|first=Janet|date=June 1, 2015|work=Canadian Lawyer Magazine|access-date=January 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430054728/http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/5606/A-new-portfolio.html|archive-date=April 30, 2016|url-status=dead}}

List of attorneys-general

{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2021}}

=Upper Canada=

1. John White (Frontenac County) 1791–1800

2. Robert Isaac Dey Gray 1800–1801

3. Thomas Scott 1801–1806

4. William Firth 1807–1812

5. G. D'Arcy Boulton 1814–1818

6. Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, of Toronto 1818–1829, acting AG 1812–1814

7. Henry John Boulton 1829–1833

8. Robert Sympson Jameson 1833–1837, last British-appointed AG

9. Christopher Alexander Hagerman 1837–1840, first Canadian-born AG of Upper Canada

10. William Henry Draper 1840–1841, last AG of Upper Canada

=Province of Canada (Canada West)=

In 1841, the Province of Upper Canada became the District of Canada West in the Province of Canada

11. William Henry Draper 1841–1843

12. Robert Baldwin 1843–1848

13. William Buell Richards 1848–1854

14. John A. Macdonald 1854–1862, 1864–1867

15. John Sandfield Macdonald 1862–1864

After 1867, the attorney general position was split into federal and provincial counterparts:

Attorney General of Ontario
Attorney General of Quebec (renamed the Ministry of Justice in 1965)
Attorney General of Canada

=Ontario (since [[Confederation (Canada)|Confederation]])=

class="wikitable" style="width: 90%"

!

! style="width: 65px;"| Portrait

! Name

! colspan=2|Term of office

! Tenure

! Political party
(Ministry)

! style="width: 400px;"| Note

||colspan=5|Attorney General

! rowspan=2; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal-Conservative}};"|Liberal
Conservative
(MacDonald)

|

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal-Conservative}};"|1

|60px||John Sandfield
Macdonald||{{dts|1867-7-16}}||{{dts|1871-12-20}}||{{ayd|1867-7-16|1871-12-20}}

| While Premier.

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"|2

|60px||Adam Crooks||{{dts|1871-12-20}}||{{dts|1872-10-25}}||{{ayd|1871-12-20|1872-10-25}}

! style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"| Liberal
(Blake)

|

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"|3

|60px||Oliver Mowat||{{dts|1872-10-31}}||{{dts|1896-07-21}}||{{ayd|1872-10-31|1896-07-21}}

! style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"| Liberal
(Mowat)

| While Premier.

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"|4

|60px||Arthur Sturgis Hardy||{{dts|1896-07-21}}||{{dts|1899-10-21}}||{{ayd|1896-07-21|1899-10-21}}

! style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"| Liberal
(Hardy)

| While Premier.

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"|5

|60px||John Morison Gibson||{{dts|1899-10-21}}||{{dts|1904-11-22}}||{{ayd|1899-10-21|1904-11-22}}

! rowspan=2; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"| Liberal
(Ross)

|

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"|6

|60px||Francis Robert Latchford||{{dts|1904-11-22}}||{{dts|1905-02-08}}||{{ayd|1904-11-22|1905-02-08}}||

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Conservative}};"|7

|60px||James Whitney||{{dts|1905-02-08}}||{{dts|1905-05-30}}||{{ayd|1905-02-08|1905-05-30}}

! rowspan=3; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Conservative}};"|Conservative
(Whitney)

| While Premier.

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Conservative}};"|8

|60px||James Joseph Foy||{{dts|1905-05-30}}||{{dts|1914-10-02}}||{{ayd|1905-05-30|1914-10-02}}||

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Conservative}};"|9

| || ???||{{dts|1914-10-02}}||{{dts|1914-12-22}}||{{ayd|1914-10-02|1914-12-22}}||

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Conservative}};"|10

|60px||Isaac Benson Lucas||{{dts|1914-12-22}}||{{dts|1919-11-14}}||{{ayd|1914-12-22|1919-11-14}}

! style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Conservative}};"|Conservative
(Hearst)

|

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|United Farmers}};"|11

|60px||William Raney||{{dts|1919-11-14}}||{{dts|1923-07-16}}||{{ayd|1919-11-14|1923-07-16}}

! style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|United Farmers}};"|United Farmers
(Drury)

|

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Conservative}};"|12

|60px||William Folger Nickle||{{dts|1923-07-16}}||{{dts|1926-10-18}}||{{ayd|1923-07-16|1926-10-18}}

! rowspan=2; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Conservative}};"|Conservative
(Ferguson)

|

rowspan=2; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Conservative}};"|13

| rowspan=2|60px||rowspan=2|William Herbert Price||{{dts|1926-10-18}}||{{dts|1930-12-15}}||rowspan=2|{{ayd|1926-10-18|1934-07-10}}||rowspan=2|

{{dts|1930-12-15}}{{dts|1934-07-10}}

! style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Conservative}};"|Conservative
(Henry)

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"|14

| 60px||Arthur Roebuck||{{dts|1934-07-10}}||{{dts|1937-04-14}}||{{ayd|1934-07-10|1937-04-14}}

! rowspan=3; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"| Liberal
(Hepburn)

|Resigned from cabinet to protest Hepburn's handling of the United Auto Workers strike.

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"|15

| ||Paul Leduc||{{dts|1937-04-15}}||{{dts|1937-10-12}}||{{ayd|1937-04-15|1937-10-12}}||Interim Attorney General upon Roebuck's resignation, while Minister of Mines.

rowspan=2; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"|16

| rowspan=2|60px||rowspan=2|Gordon Daniel Conant||{{dts|1937-10-12}}||{{dts|1942-10-21}}||rowspan=2|{{ayd|1937-10-12|1943-05-18}}||rowspan=2|Conant remained Attorney General when he served as Premier. He resigned both position on May 18, 1943.

{{dts|1942-10-21}}{{dts|1943-05-18}}

! style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"| Liberal
(Conant)

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"|17

| ||Eric Cross||{{dts|1943-05-18}}||{{dts|1943-08-17}}||{{ayd|1943-05-18|1943-08-17}}

! style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"| Liberal
(Nixon)

|Concurrently Minister of Municipal Affairs.

rowspan=2; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|18

| rowspan=2| ||rowspan=2|Leslie Blackwell||{{dts|1943-08-17}}||{{dts|1948-10-19}}||rowspan=2|{{ayd|1943-08-17|1949-05-04}}

! style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|PC
(Drew)

|

{{dts|1948-10-19}}{{dts|1949-05-04}}

! style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|PC
(Kennedy)

|

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|19

|60px||Dana Porter||{{dts|1949-05-04}}||{{dts|1955-08-17}}||{{ayd|1949-05-04|1955-08-17}}

! rowspan=2; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|PC
(Frost)

|

rowspan=2; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|20

| rowspan=2|60px||rowspan=2|Kelso Roberts||{{dts|1955-08-17}}||{{dts|1961-11-08}}||rowspan=2|{{ayd|1955-08-17|1962-10-25}}||rowspan=2|

{{dts|1961-11-08}}{{dts|1962-10-25}}

! rowspan=5; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"| PC
(Robarts)

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|21

| 60px||Fred Cass||{{dts|1962-10-25}}||{{dts|1964-03-23}}||{{ayd|1962-10-25|1964-03-23}}||

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|22

| ||Arthur Wishart||{{dts|1964-03-26}}||{{dts|1966-05-18}}||rowspan=3|{{ayd|1964-03-26|1971-03-01}}||rowspan=3|

||colspan=4|Minister of Justice and Attorney General
style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|22

| ||Arthur Wishart||{{dts|1966-05-18}}||{{dts|1971-03-01}}

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|23

| ||Allan Lawrence||{{dts|1971-03-01}}||{{dts|1972-02-02}}||{{ayd|1971-03-01|1972-02-02}}

! rowspan=7; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"| PC
(Davis)

| Concurrently Provincial Secretary for Justice from January 5, 1972, to September 28, 1972).

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|24

| ||Dalton Bales||{{dts|1972-02-02}}||{{dts|1972-04-10}}||rowspan=3|{{ayd|1972-02-02|1974-02-26}}

||colspan=4|Attorney General
style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|24

| ||Dalton Bales||{{dts|1972-04-10}}||{{dts|1974-02-26}}

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|25

| 60px||Bob Welch||{{dts|1974-02-26}}||{{dts|1975-07-18}}||{{ayd|1974-02-26|1975-07-18}}
(first instance)||Concurrently Provincial Secretary for Justice.

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|26

| ||John Clement||{{dts|1975-01-14}}||{{dts|1975-10-07}}||{{ayd|1975-01-14|1975-10-07}}||Concurrently Provincial Secretary for Justice and Solicitor General (June 18, 1975 - October 7, 1975).

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|27

| 60px||Roy McMurtry||{{dts|1975-10-07}}||{{dts|1985-02-08}}||{{ayd|1975-10-07|1985-02-08}}||Concurrently Solicitor General (September 11, 1978 – February 13, 1982).
The ministry headquarters is named jointly after McMurtry and Ian Scott.

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|28

| 60px||Bob Welch||{{dts|1985-02-08}}||{{dts|1985-05-17}}||{{ayd|1985-02-08|1985-05-17}}
(second instance)
(1 year, 240 days in total)

! rowspan=2; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"| PC
(Miller)

| Concurrently Deputy Premier.

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|29

| ||Alan Pope||{{dts|1985-05-17}}||{{dts|1985-06-26}}||{{ayd|1985-05-17|1985-06-26}}||

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"|30

| ||Ian Scott||{{dts|1985-06-26}}||{{dts|1990-10-01}}||{{ayd|1985-06-26|1990-10-01}}

! style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"| Liberal
(Peterson)

| Concurrently Minister Responsible for Native Affairs.
Interim Solicitor General (February 3, 1986 – January 9, 1987; June 6, 1989 – August 2, 1989).
The ministry headquarters is named jointly after Scott and Roy McMurtry.

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|NDP}};"|31

|60px||Howard Hampton||{{dts|1990-10-01}}||{{dts|1993-02-03}}||{{ayd|1990-10-01|1993-02-03}}

! rowspan=3; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|NDP}};"| NDP
(Rae)

|

||colspan=5|Minister of Justice and Attorney General
style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|NDP}};"|32

| ||Marion Boyd||{{dts|1993-02-03}}||{{dts|1995-06-26}}||{{ayd|1993-02-03|1995-06-26}}||First woman to serve as Attorney General.
Only Attorney General who was not a lawyer.

||colspan=5|Attorney General

! rowspan=4; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"| PC
(Harris)

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|33

|60px||Charles Harnick||{{dts|1995-06-26}}||{{dts|1999-06-17}}||{{ayd|1995-06-26|1999-06-17}}

|Concurrently Minister Responsible for Native Affairs.

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|34

|60px||Jim Flaherty||{{dts|1999-06-17}}||{{dts|2001-02-07}}||{{ayd|1999-06-17|2001-02-07}}||Concurrently Minister Responsible for Native Affairs.

rowspan=2; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|35

| rowspan=2| ||rowspan=2|David Young||{{dts|2001-02-08}}||{{dts|2002-04-15}}||rowspan=2|{{ayd|2001-02-08|2003-02-25}}||rowspan=2|Concurrently Minister Responsible for Native Affairs.

{{dts|2002-04-15}}{{dts|2003-02-25}}

! rowspan=2; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"| PC
(Eves)

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|36

| ||Norm Sterling||{{dts|2003-02-25}}||{{dts|2003-10-22}}||{{ayd|2003-02-25|2003-10-22}}||Concurrently Minister Responsible for Native Affairs.

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"|37

|||Michael J. Bryant||{{dts|2003-10-23}}||{{dts|2007-10-30}}||{{ayd|2003-10-23|2007-10-30}}

! rowspan=3; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"| Liberal
(McGuinty)

| Concurrently Minister Responsible for Native Affairs and Minister Responsible for Democratic Renewal (October 23, 2003 – June 29, 2005).

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"|38

| ||Chris Bentley||{{dts|2007-10-30}}||{{dts|2011-10-20}}||{{ayd|2007-10-30|2011-10-20}}||Concurrently Minister Responsible for Native Affairs (January 18, 2010 – October 20, 2011).

rowspan=2; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"|39

| rowspan=2|60px ||rowspan=2|John Gerretsen||{{dts|2011-10-20}}||{{dts|2013-02-11}}||rowspan=2|{{ayd|2011-10-20|2014-03-25}}||rowspan=2|

{{dts|2013-02-11}}{{dts|2014-03-25}}

! rowspan=3; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"| Liberal
(Wynne)

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"|40

| ||Madeleine Meilleur||{{dts|2014-06-24}}||{{dts|2016-06-13}}||{{ayd|2014-06-24|2016-06-13}}||Concurrently Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs.
First francophone to serve as Attorney General.

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|Liberal}};"|41

|60px||Yasir Naqvi||{{dts|2016-06-13}}||{{dts|2018-06-29}}||{{ayd|2016-06-13|2018-06-29}}||First visible-minority and first Muslim to serve as Attorney General.

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|42

|60px||Caroline Mulroney||{{dts|2018-06-29}}||{{dts|2019-06-20}}||{{ayd|2018-06-29|2019-06-20}}

! rowspan=2; style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|PC
(Ford)

|Concurrently Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs.
Licensed to practice law in New York; not licensed to practice law in Ontario

style="background:{{Canadian party colour|ON|PC}};"|43

|60px||Doug Downey||{{dts|2019-06-20}}||present||{{ayd|2019-06-20

}

|

|-

|}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book |last1=Romney |first1=Paul |title=Mr Attorney: The Attorney General for Ontario in Court, Cabinet, and Legislature 1791–1899 |date=1986 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-1-4875-8118-3}}

External links

  • [http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/ Ministry of the Attorney General website]

{{Canada topic|Attorney General of}}

{{Ontario Attorneys General}}

{{ONGovDept}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Attorney General Of Ontario}}

Category:Ontario government departments and agencies

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