Doug Ford floats idea of electing judges in rant on bail reform
- On April 30, 2025, Ontario Premier Doug Ford criticized judges at Peel Regional Police headquarters for their bail decisions and announced justice bill reforms.
- Ford's comments followed frustrations with judges repeatedly granting bail, federal control over criminal law, and a recent injunction on bike lane removals.
- He suggested introducing elections for the judiciary, offering incentives for early retirement, and appointing stricter judicial officials committed to being tougher on crime to better align with public concerns.
- Ford called judicial independence "a joke," claimed decisions cost $10 billion, and said, "there's a lot of terrible, terrible bleeding-heart judges out there."
- The reforms aim to strengthen bail laws and judicial appointments but raised opposition criticism over politicizing the courts and undermining judicial independence.
41 Articles
41 Articles

Doug Ford tees off on ‘terrible bleeding-heart judges’
Every Sunday morning, one of our legislative reporters from The Trillium provides an inside look at the week that was in Ontario politics — and the week ahead
Ontario’s Ford Proposes Bail Reforms, Vows to Hire ‘Tough on Crime’ Judges
Premier Doug Ford is proposing changes to strengthen Ontario’s bail system while criticizing “bleeding heart” judges for failing to keep violent repeat offenders behind bars. Ford visited Peel Regional Police headquarters in Mississauga on April 30 to announce bail reform measures that will be part of an upcoming justice bill. The bill will include proposed reforms aimed at strengthening the collection process for forfeited bail, support a thoro…
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