Michael Spratt

1 week ago | canadianlawyermag.com | Michael Spratt

The Ontario premier's folksy delivery conceals an authoritarian drift echoing global trends By We need to talk about Doug Ford and judicial appointments again because things are getting a bit dark. Earlier this month, the Ford government introduced Bill 10 – the Protect Ontario Through Safer Streets and Stronger Communities Act. The name, as always, sounds like something dreamed up in a focus group designed to distract from the substance of the legislation.

1 month ago | canadianlawyermag.com | Michael Spratt

The real test begins now – will the Liberals stick with an evidence-based approach to crime? By Pierre Poilievre managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Not only did the Conservatives squander one of the biggest electoral leads in modern Canadian history, but Poilievre lost his seat in Parliament. So much for “bringing it home” – unless he meant to an empty apartment with the locks changed.

2 months ago | canadianlawyermag.com | Michael Spratt

Let's stop funding the failed tough-on-crime approach and start building justice that works By I’ll let you in on a poorly kept secret: criminal courts have very little justice. An acquittal does little to vindicate or repair the harm to an innocent accused, and a conviction is cold comfort to a victim who has suffered trauma. Criminal trials – those supposed crucibles for truth – often leave the public and communities confused, uncertain, and afraid.

2 months ago | canadianlawyermag.com | Michael Spratt

Complacency and political posturing are chipping away at the rule of law in Canada as well By Well, this is all feeling alarmingly too close for comfort, isn’t it? Once upon a time, we Canadians could watch American politics the way you’d watch a slow-motion car crash from a safe distance – horrified, but at least not directly involved. But now?

Feb 7, 2025 | canadianlawyermag.com | Michael Spratt

Every year, thousands of Canadians are charged with minor shoplifting offences. And I’ve represented hundreds of hungry people charged with stealing food – because, apparently, the actual crime isn’t that they’re starving; it’s that they dared to take a sandwich without a platinum credit card. And the sheer waste of it all is staggering. Each case burns through thousands of dollars in police resources, court time, prosecutors, legal aid, and even jail costs. And here’s the kicker – the stolen food?