Attorney General Doug Downey wasn't keen to talk about his controversial justice system reforms on Tuesday during a rare media appearance.
Current Ontario Court Chief Justice Lise Maisonneuve is set to retire in May. Downey wants more control over who replaces her, and that's spooked some legal experts who argue it violates the principle of judicial independence. "Understanding victims' issues, making sure that they have community leadership ... sometimes only I can asses that," he continued.
The Trillium asked Downey to elaborate on what he meant when he said "values," and to address whether it's part of an effort to make Ontario's judicial system more conservative. "When you look at his desire to appoint judges who think more like him, he's been unable to expand or unwilling to elaborate on what he means by that," Spratt said.