Attorney General of Ontario

The Attorney General of Ontario is a senior member of the Executive Council of Ontario (or cabinet) and governs the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario - the department responsible for the oversight of the justice system within the province. The Attorney General is an elected Member of Provincial Parliament who is chosen by the premier and appointed by the lieutenant-governor. The Ministry's goal is to provide 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:

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 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 October 30, 2007, the Attorney General of Ontario is the Honourable Chris Bentley.

Attorneys General have 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. 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 Upper Canada

• John White (Frontenac County) 1791-1800
• Robert Isaac Dey Gray 1800-1801
• Thomas Scott 1801-1806
• William Firth 1807-1812
• G. D'Arcy Boulton 1814-1818
• Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, of Toronto 1818-1829; acting AG 1812-1814
• Henry John Boulton 1829-1832
• Robert Sympson Jameson 1833-1837 - last British appointed AG
• Christopher Alexander Hagerman 1837-1840 - first Canadian born AG of Upper Canada
• William Henry Draper 1840-1841 - last AG of Upper Canada

List of Attorneys-General of the Province of Canada (Canada West)

In 1841 the AG replaced the role of AG of Upper Canada:

• William Henry Draper 1841-1843
• Robert Baldwin 1843-1848
• William Buell Richards 1848-1854
• John A. Macdonald 1854-1862, 1864–1867
• John Sandfield Macdonald 1862-1864

After 1867, the AG was split into a federal and provincial counterparts:

• Attorney General of Ontario
• Attorney General of Canada

List of Attorneys-General of Ontario

• John Sandfield MacDonald*, coalition, 1867–1871
• Adam Crooks, Liberal, 1871–1872
• Oliver Mowat*, Liberal, 1872–1896
• Arthur S. 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 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
• Alan Pope, Progressive Conservative, 1985-1985
• Ian Scott, Liberal, 1985–1990
• Howard Hampton, New Democratic Party, 1990–1993
• Marion Boyd, New Democratic Party, 1993–1995
• Charles Harnick, Progressive Conservative, 1995–1999
• Jim Flaherty, Progressive Conservative, 1999–2001
• David Young, Progressive Conservative, 2001–2003
• Michael J. Bryant, Liberal, 2003–2007
• Christopher Bentley, Liberal, 2007–2011
• John Gerretsen, Liberal, 2011-

*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.

See also

• Government of Ontario

External links

• Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario website