Attorney General of Ontario

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The Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario is responsible for providing a fair and accessible justice system which reflects the needs of the diverse communities it serves across government and the province. It strives to manage the justice system in an equitable, affordable and accessible way throughout the province.

The Ministry 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 Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee, the Children's Lawyer (formerly called the Official Guardian), and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) all fall within MAG's responsibilities. The Ministry also funds Legal Aid Ontario which is administered by an independent Board.

As of 2005, the Attorney General of Ontario is the Honourable Michael J. Bryant.

Attorneys General have the authority to represent the provincial government in court personally but this task is almost always delegated to crown attorneys. Ian Scott, who was a prominent courtroom lawyer prior to entering politics, chose to plead the crown's case in court for several cases related to constitutional law.

List of Attorneys-General of Ontario

John Sandfield MacDonald*, coalition, 1867-1871
Adam Crooks, Liberal, 1871-1872
Oliver Mowat*, Liberal, 1872-1896
Arthur Hardy*, Liberal, 1896-1899
John Morison Gibson, Liberal, 1899-1904
Francis Robert Latchford, Liberal, 1904-1905
James Whitney*, Conservative, 1905
James Joseph Foy, Conservative, 1905-1914
Isaac Benson Lucas, Conservative, 1914-1919
William Raney, United Farmers, 1919-1923
William Folger Nickle, Conservative, 1923-1926
William Herbert Price, Conservative, 1926-1934
Arthur Roebuck, Liberal, 1934-1937
Gordon Conant**, Liberal, 1937-1943
Eric Cross, Liberal, 1943
Leslie Blackwell, Progressive Conservative, 1943-1949
Dana Harris Porter, Progressive Conservative, 1949-1955
Kelso Roberts, Progressive Conservative, 1955-1962
Fred Cass, Progressive Conservative, 1962-1964
Arthur Wishart, Progressive Conservative, 1964-1971
Allan Lawrence, Progressive Conservative, 1971-1972
Dalton Bales, Progressive Conservative. 1972-1974
Robert Stanley Welch, Progressive Conservative, 1974-1975
John Clement, Progressive Conservative, 1975
Roy McMurtry, Progressive Conservative, 1975-1985
Ian Scott, Liberal, 1985-1990
Howard Hampton, NDP, 1990-1993
Marion Boyd, NDP, 1993-1995
Charles Harnick, Progressive Conservative, 1995-1999
Jim Flaherty, Progressive Conservative, 1999-2001
David Young, Progressive Conservative, 2001-2003
Michael J. Bryant, Liberal, 2003-present

*As Premier

** Conant remained Attorney-General when he served as Premier of Ontario from October 21, 1942 until May 18, 1943 when he resigned from both positions.

External link

[Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario website]

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