TORONTO — Roy McMurtry, a legal and political giant in Ontario, has died at 91.
McMurtry, a longtime lawyer, became the province’s attorney general in 1975 under Progressive Conservative premier Bill Davis.
He spent a decade in that role and later returned to the judiciary, where he eventually became Chief Justice of Ontario.
Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey says McMurtry oversaw a number of reforms of the justice system including bilingualism in the courts and family law reform.
The Court of Appeal of Ontario says McMurtry played a pivotal role in negotiating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and patriating Canada’s constitution.
McMurtry was one of the judges of the Appeal Court who upheld a lower court ruling that found the common law definition of marriage was against the Charter, which paved the way for the legalization of same-sex marriage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2024.
The Canadian Press