Ontario. Dept. of the Attorney General

• Department of the Attorney General

• Ontario. Attorney General's Dept.

The Attorney General's Office was one of five executive offices of the government of Ontario that was established by the British North America Act (now the Constitution Act) of 1867. The position of Attorney General, however, extends back to 1791, when the Province of Upper Canada was established. The Attorney General's Office was renamed the Department of the Attorney General by 1886.

Through its Administration of Justice Division (later known as the Courts Administration Division), the Department was responsible for the administration of the various courts of the Province. Through the Crown Attorney's System, the Department was also responsible for the supervision and administration of the Crown Attorney's of the province.

Agencies which reported to the Department of the Attorney General for some period of time included the Corporations Registrar, the Inspector of Insurance Companies, the Office of the Superintendent of Insurance, the Registrar of Friendly Societies, the Inspector of Registry Offices, the Provincial Municipal Auditor, the Superintendent of Neglected and Dependent Children, the Inspector of Legal Offices, the Master of Titles, the Office of the Fire Marshall, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Ontario Police Commission, Registrar of Regulations, the Centre of Forensic Sciences, the Director of Land Registration, the Emergency Measures Branch, and the Probation Services Branch.

In 1967, the Department of the Attorney General was renamed the Department of Justice. At the same time the title of the Attorney General itself, was changed to that of Minister of Justice and Attorney General, in order to reflect the position's responsibilities for all aspects of the justice system in Ontario.

The mandate of the Department of the Attorney General was to administer the justice system through the instigation or suppression of prosecutions and to provide legal/constitutional advice to the other members of the Executive Council regarding legislation and other matters under discussion.

Constitution Act (British North America Act), Statutes of Great Britain 1867, Chap. 3

RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)

2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

Directory and Guide to the Services of the Ontario Government, 1948-1967

Bishop, Olga. Publications of the Ontario Government, 1867-1900 (1976)

MacTaggart, Hazel. Publications of the Ontario Government, 1901-1955 (1964)

Canadiana Name Authorities, 1996-12-24

Archivist(s):
R. Anger