Mr. Roderick McLeod

This oral history interview features Roderick Morrison McLeod, who had a distinguished career in Ontario’s justice system from 1969 to 1987. Beginning as a young counsel in the Crown Law Office Criminal (then called Criminal Appeals and Special Prosecutions), McLeod worked under Clay Powell and later became Director of the Crown Law Office Criminal and eventually Assistant Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Law. His career was marked by high-profile prosecutions including the Hamilton Harbour case and the landmark Dredging conspiracy case involving multiple companies bid-rigging on government contracts.

McLeod describes the evolution of prosecution practices in Ontario, particularly the development of white-collar crime prosecution capabilities and the clarification of roles between Crown prosecutors and police in charging decisions. He emphasizes the three-step test for prosecutions: reasonable probable grounds, reasonable likelihood of conviction, and whether prosecution serves the public interest. His work helped establish important precedents in areas including environmental law (R. v. City of Sault Ste. Marie) and commercial crime prosecution.

The interview also covers McLeod’s later roles as Deputy Solicitor General (1982-1985) and Deputy Minister of Environment (1985-1987), providing insights into the relationship between the Attorney General and Solicitor General ministries, the evolution of police oversight, and environmental law enforcement under the Peterson government’s MISA program. Throughout, McLeod emphasizes the importance of prosecutorial independence and the high caliber of legal talent that characterized Ontario’s justice system during this transformative period.

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