The Ford government announced this week that the province will begin collecting statistics on bail set up by judges and justices of the peace — with the premier promising those on the bench will "be held accountable for the decisions they make."
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) and prominent lawyers immediately raised concerns about Ford's remarks, calling them an "unacceptable and dangerous attack on judicial independence, the constitution, and the rule of law."
This is not the first time Ford has suggested the province needs more judges and JPs who are "tough" and "like-minded."
Asked this week if he intends to remove justices of the peace or judges based on their bail statistics, Ford did not endorse the idea or rule it out.
"Well, let's first measure," he replied. "There's no measurement going on right now."
Retired Ontario judge Norman Douglas — who has since written a book chronicling the difficult decisions made every day in our justice system — told GuelphToday this week that he welcomes the collection of statistics. However, he pointed out that judges are already held to account via courts of appeal.
Douglas was also a recent guest on Village Media's Inside the Village podcast, where he was asked to weigh in on Ford's pursuit of tough judges.
"Define tough judge," he said. "You can’t be a tough judge, you can’t be a soft judge — you’ve go to be tough and soft. It depends on the case in front of you — and every case is different, and every case comes with its own set of facts.”
Douglas said he'd like to know who is advising the premier on this particular file.
"I’d like a chance to sit down with him and say: ‘Look, I understand what you’re saying. But if you really want tough judges, man, you want to go to some of these countries overseas where they’ve got tough judges — and you’ve got a lot of innocent people sitting in jail, too.'"
You can watch the full interview HERE.
Hosted by Scott Sexsmith and Michael Friscolanti, the Editor-in-Chief of Village Media, Inside the Village is a news and current affairs podcast that provides a weekly window into some of the best local journalism from across our chain of Ontario newsrooms. Produced by Derek Turner, the program also explores bigger-picture issues that impact people across the province.
Every episode is can be found HERE. If you prefer the audio version, it is available wherever you find your favourite podcasts.
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