“Conservatives’ culture of corruption deepens:” report reveals pattern of patronage in Ontario’s Tribunals

QUEEN’S PARK – Reports from the Investigative Journalism Foundation have revealed that the majority of the Ford government’s provincial tribunals appointees have close ties to Ontario’s Conservative Party.

While tribunals across the province continue to experience high backlogs of cases and increased wait times for people seeking justice, the report reveals that six out of nine appointed chairs of Ontario’s tribunals have either donated money to, served as a high-ranking staffer for, or run for political office under the banner of a Canadian conservative party.

“Ford and his Conservatives’ culture of corrupt cronyism - of prioritizing patronage over helping everyday Ontarians – is deepening,” said Official Opposition NDP Leader Marit Stiles. “Stacking Ontario’s tribunals with Conservative insiders is eroding people’s trust in the fairness of our tribunals system. We cannot stand by while that happens.”

NDP critic for Attorney General Kristyn Wong-Tam has consistently pointed out the pattern of patronage appointments to Ontario’s tribunals and the impact it has on procedural efficiency and fairness.

“The Ford government has been corrupting the political process ever since they took office in 2018. This is not new, but it is deeply concerning. We have joined Tribunals Watch to call for an independent Adjudicative Tribunal Justice Council. Yesterday’s report only makes this call more urgent.”