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 government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor� ...

. The Attorney General is a senior member of the

Executive Council of Ontario The Executive Council of Ontario (french: Conseil des ministres de l'Ontario), often informally referred to as the Cabinet of Ontario (french: Cabinet de l'Ontario, links=no), is the cabinet of the Canadian province of Ontario. It comprises minis ...

(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 Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. The Attorney General is an elected Member of Provincial Parliament who is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario on the

constitutional advice In constitutional law, advice is a formal and usually binding instruction given by one constitutional officer of state to another. Particularly in parliamentary systems of government, heads of state often act on the basis of advice issued by prime ...

of the Premier of Ontario. The goal of the Ministry of the Attorney General is to provide a fair and accessible justice system that reflects the needs of the diverse communities it serves across government and the province. The Ministry represents the largest justice system in Canada and one of the largest in North America. It strives to manage the justice system in an equitable, affordable and accessible way throughout the province.

Doug Downey Doug Downey is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario during the 2018 general election. He represents the riding of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, and is a member of the Progressive Conservative Part ...

was appointed Attorney General of Ontario on 20 June 2019, replacing

Caroline Mulroney Caroline Anne Mulroney Lapham (born June 11, 1974) is a Canadian businesswoman, lawyer and politician who currently serves as the Ontario Minister of Transportation and Minister of Francophone Affairs. Born in Montreal, Quebec, she is the dau ...

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.1976 Reference re: Anti-Inflation Act1981 Reference re: Resolution to amend the Constitution
an
Reference re Bill 30, An Act to Amend the Education Act
/ref> Most holders of the office have been practising lawyers or had legal training. Marion Boyd was the only Attorney General who was not a lawyer until Caroline Mulroney's appointment. Although Mulroney studied and 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: #administering approximately 115 statutes; #conducting criminal proceedings throughout Ontario; #providing legal advice to, and conducting litigation on behalf of, all government ministries and many agencies, boards and tribunals; #providing advice on, and drafting, all legislation and regulations; and #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 funds Legal Aid Ontario, which is administered by an independent board.

Portfolios

In 2008,

Office of the Independent Police Review Director The Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD; ) is an independent civilian oversight agency that handles public complaints regarding police conduct in the Canadian province of Ontario. The agency oversees municipal police services ...

(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 The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. Under its provincial mandate, the OPP patrols provincial highways and waterways, protects provincial government buildings and officials, patrols unincorp ...

. Following the 2013 release of former Supreme Court judge Frank Iacobucci's report on the relationship between

Aboriginal peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

and the Ontario justice system, a position of deputy attorney general with responsibility for Aboriginal issues was created.

List of attorneys-general

Attorneys-general of 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 Sir John Beverley Robinson, 1st Baronet, (26 July 1791 – 31 January 1863) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada. He was considered the leader of the Family Compact, a group of families which effectively controlled the ea ...

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 Christopher Alexander Hagerman, (28 March 1792 – 14 May 1847) was a Canadian militia officer, lawyer, administrator, politician and judge. Early life and family Known during his adult life as 'Handsome Kit', Hagerman was born at the Bay ...

1837–1840, first Canadian-born AG of Upper Canada
10. William Henry Draper 1840–1841, last AG of Upper Canada

Attorneys-general of the 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 Robert Baldwin (May 12, 1804 – December 9, 1858) was an Upper Canadian lawyer and politician who with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine of Lower Canada, led the first responsible government ministry in the Province of Canada. " ...

1843–1848
13.

William Buell Richards Sir William Buell Richards (May 2, 1815 – January 26, 1889) was the first Chief Justice of Canada. Richards was born in Brockville, Upper Canada, to Stephen Richards and Phoebe Buell. He earned law degree at the St. Lawrence Academy in Po ...

1848–1854
14.

John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...

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

Attorneys-general of Ontario, since Confederation

References

External links

Ministry of the Attorney General website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Attorney General Of Ontario Ontario government departments and agencies *

1841 establishments in Canada