Ontario Bar Association says province’s proposal to change how it picks judges could ‘politicize’ the process

The Ontario Bar Association says it is concerned that the provincial government’s latest proposal to alter the way it picks judges could “unduly politicize the process,” as MPPs debate the changes in the shadow of Premier Doug Ford’s recent public comments that judicial independence is a “joke.”The group, which represents the province’s legal profession, said it supported speeding up judicial appointments but warned in an e-mailed statement to The Globe and Mail that some of the proposed changes warrant a second look in order to protect “judicial independence and the rule of law.”The proposals were unveiled on April 30, when Mr. Ford went on a self-described “rant,” questioning how courts were allowed to rule against his government, rhetorically suggesting the adoption of U.S.-style elected judges and warning that too many people were being released on bail only to commit crimes.