The Hon. Patrick LeSage

This extensive oral history interview with former Chief Justice Patrick LeSage provides a comprehensive account of his legal career spanning from 1963 to his retirement. Born in Tweed, Ontario in 1935, LeSage describes his path from reluctant law student to Crown Attorney, then Director of Crown Attorneys for Ontario (1972-1975), District Court judge, and ultimately Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Ontario.

The interview covers significant periods of court reform and administration, including LeSage’s role as Director overseeing 140 Crown Attorneys across Ontario’s 47-48 counties. He discusses the challenges of bringing consistency to prosecutorial practices, particularly regarding impaired driving charges and plea negotiations. His experiences in northern Ontario, including flying circuits to remote Indigenous communities, reveal the practical realities of delivering justice in isolated areas. LeSage describes innovative approaches like involving band councils in sentencing decisions, predating modern restorative justice circles.

The latter portion focuses on major court restructuring in the 1980s and 1990s, including the controversial merger of District and High Courts and the expansion of Unified Family Courts. LeSage provides insider perspectives on negotiations with provincial court leadership, judicial independence issues, and the practical challenges of administering justice across Ontario’s diverse geography. His reflections on gender and racial equality initiatives, relationships with various Chief Judges, and the evolution of Canadian court systems offer valuable insights into the modernization of Ontario’s judicial system.

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