The Hon. Howard Hampton

This oral history interview captures Howard Hampton’s tenure as Ontario Attorney General from 1990-1993 during the NDP government of Bob Rae. Hampton discusses his background growing up in Fort Frances, his education at Dartmouth College and University of Ottawa Law School, and his early legal career including work with the Canadian Labour Congress on constitutional challenges to union rights.

As Attorney General, Hampton faced immediate crises including implementing the Supreme Court’s Askov decision on trial delays, which required dismissing thousands of minor charges while fast-tracking serious criminal cases. He describes the massive organizational effort involving Crown Attorneys, court administration, and the judiciary to address court backlogs. Hampton also details his efforts to diversify judicial appointments by writing to all women lawyers in Ontario encouraging applications, dramatically changing the demographics of the applicant pool.

The interview reveals Hampton’s approach to balancing political and legal responsibilities, his work on family support enforcement legislation, abortion access issues, victims’ rights initiatives, and reforms to judicial complaint processes. He emphasizes the collaborative relationships he built with Chief Justice Charles Dubin and other senior judges to implement necessary institutional changes in Ontario’s justice system during a period of significant legal and social transformation.

This description was written by AI and may contain some inaccuracies.