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There are probably a dozen people in Doug Ford's cabinet who could have won this election, including a daughter of a former PM (which would have been so annoying, I hate dynastic politics).
 
Bojaxs said:
This was interesting. Jamil Jivani ripping into Doug Ford during a post-election interview with the CBC. Jimal Jivani is the guy with close ties to J.D. Vance.

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Its rich calling Ford a traitor when it was CPC that banned Ontario staffers who worked for Ford to work for PP when he was elected, refused to endorse him both in 2022 and 2025, and didn't congratulate him when he won in either. They burned the bridge with their own hands, yet they have the gall to make Ford the rogue bad guy.
 

Ontario Premier Doug Ford calls for U.S.-style elected judges​


From https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-doug-ford-ontario-judges-comments/
Ontario Premier Doug Ford – calling judicial independence “a joke” – says he supports U.S.-style elected judges and that many on the bench are “bleeding hearts” afflicted by “ideology,” who allow too many accused criminals out on bail and overrule his government on bike lanes or other issues.

On Wednesday, the Premier launched into what he himself described as a “rant” while speaking to reporters at an announcement at Peel Police headquarters in Mississauga. His comments raised questions about his government’s commitment to an independent judiciary and the ability of courts to review whether legislation violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“We get elected democratically. Last time I checked, there hasn’t been any judges elected. Maybe that’s the problem. We should do what the U.S. does. Let’s start electing our judges, holding them accountable. And that’s my rant for the day. Because I‘ve just had it,” the Premier said.

Mr. Ford‘s government pledged this week to bring in additional changes to Ontario’s judicial appointments process for lower-court judges. Other alterations it has already made in recent years have been criticized by many in the legal profession for allowing for more political inference and undermining a long-established system meant to minimize it. But the proposal as announced did not include upending Canadian traditions and importing the U.S. practice of electing judges.

In his comments on Wednesday, Mr. Ford also suggested that Ontario should take over responsibility for the Criminal Code, which establishes most criminal offences and criminal procedures, from the federal government.

And he vowed to fight a recent court injunction that temporarily blocked his move to override Toronto’s municipal government and rip out bike lanes, pending the final result of a Charter case launched by cyclists who warn the decision could result in deaths or injuries.

While he claimed to be a “strong believer in our judicial system,” Mr. Ford said it was “out of control” with accused criminals getting out on bail multiple times and committing more violent crimes. He vowed to hire “tough on crime” judges and justices of the peace.

“The system is broken. And there’s a lot of terrible, terrible bleeding heart judges out there,” the Premier said, stressing some judges and the province’s chief justices were good and qualified.

“Once these judges get into their position, they have this sense of entitlement. That’s what drives me crazy,” Mr. Ford told reporters. “We were democratically elected as a government. And I always say, you know, I always say, the legislature is supreme, meaning the people are supreme. When you get a mandate to do something you can’t have judges constantly overruling a government.”

“I have an idea. … Why don’t we have, the next election, the PC Party, the Liberal Party, the NDP party, the Green Party and the judges party? Because they overturn everything, right down to the bikes lanes,” Mr. Ford said.

“We get democratically elected, and some judge slaps an injunction on bike lanes. Don’t the judges have anything better to do than worry about if we‘re taking out bike lanes?” Mr. Ford said, charging that the decision was made “not because of law, because of their ideology.”

“What right do they have, an unelected, politically appointed judges [sic], determining, determining our budgets? Because decisions judges have made in the past have cost us $10-billion,” Mr. Ford, said not elaborating on the decisions to which he was referring.

After the comments, Mr. Ford‘s Attorney-General, Doug Downey, added: “You should see what he says in private.” Mr. Downey said he would appoint judges from the candidates recommended by the appointments committee who “understand where community sentiment is at.”

Answering a follow-up question, Mr. Ford acknowledged that the justice system and the Criminal Code fall under the federal government.

But he suggested the names of judges who allow people out on bail who subsequently commit offences should be posted online. He asked if judges should call the families of people murdered by accused criminal they released on bail. And he said he would offer to pay judges he deems “bleeding hearts” to retire earlier.

Asked about the notion of judicial independence, he called it a joke.

“That’s a joke as far as I‘m concerned,” Mr. Ford said. “ … There’s no judge appointed anywhere in this country, anywhere in the United States, anywhere in the world that’s not a political appointment. Simple as that. You think these judges just come out of the blue? You think the appointments from the federal government, do you think that the Liberal government for the last 10 years is going to appoint a Conservative-minded tough-on-crime judge? Not a chance. Not a chance.”
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Monarch Butterfly said:

Ontario Premier Doug Ford calls for U.S.-style elected judges​


From https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-doug-ford-ontario-judges-comments/
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Yes, the Star has something similar at: https://www.thestar.com/politics/pr...cle_5f2b50a7-fc3d-4f34-b397-40c39de1fa97.html

"Railing against “unelected” judges, Premier Doug Ford says Ontario will appeal a temporary court injunction preventing the province from ripping out bike lanes on Bloor, University and Yonge.
“Why don’t they listen to the people?” Ford said Wednesday in Mississauga, noting his Progressive Conservatives were re-elected Feb. 27 on a platform that included removing bikeways and taking a tougher stand on crime in general.
In what Ford described as his “rant for the day,” he teed off on judges whose rulings on issues such as bail or bike lanes that run counter to the wishes of the government — and called the concept of judicial independence “a joke” because judges are appointed by governments of various political stripes. "

He seems to think Judges are not there to uphold and interpret the law - which is NOT a good thing to see in a Premier.
 
Because the US is such a stellar example of Judicial independence, and I thought Doug wanted us to know that we aren't the US (his slip about his preference for a Trump election victory aside) right? In any case, his governments had a pretty reasonable record of prevailing at the courts anyways.

“Why don’t they listen to the people?”
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One of the most important judicial function is be insulated from public opinion.

AoD
 
Ha. He's never met a microphone he didn't like. The judicial system always works fine when it makes decisions you like. If he was truly concerned about the state of our justice system and what the province could actually do about it, he could appoint more judges and hire more support staff. There are a lot more cases being tossed or plead down due to Jordan limits than "murderers getting out on bail".

He wonders why judges are involving themselves with bike lanes. Some may ask the same question to the province.
 
lenaitch said:
Ha. He's never met a microphone he didn't like. The judicial system always works fine when it makes decisions you like. If he was truly concerned about the state of our justice system and what the province could actually do about it, he could appoint more judges and hire more support staff. There are a lot more cases being tossed or plead down due to Jordan limits than "murderers getting out on bail".
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What/who could he blame when the system runs well?

AoD
 
“Why don’t they listen to the people?”
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...and which people? Those that ignorantly think ripping up bike lanes is a good idea? Or those that use the bike lanes whose lives will be in peril after you rip them up?

It would be funny if the those elected judges of yours ruled for the latter.
 
A friend of mine who is a Crown prosecutor and pretty reliable tells me that the province would probably have the most success reducing the incidence of bail by not making the prisons such horrible places that no JP feels good about sending someone who is potentially innocent (which is all of them) to stay there.
 
UtakataNoAnnex said:
...and which people? Those that ignorantly think ripping up bike lanes is a good idea? Or those that use the bike lanes whose lives will be in peril after you rip them up?
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The people who live in the riding where the bike lanes are who threw out the MPP who worked so hard to get them.
 
evandyk said:
The people who live in the riding where the bike lanes are who threw out the MPP who worked so hard to get them.
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That's unfortunate, but it does not detract from what I said. That is, electing judges does not guarantee they will comply with the will of the government...which is the narrative of Doug's rant, whether he realizes that or not. And in certain cases, the complete opposite may happen.
 
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