POLICE CASE COULD PROMPT JUSTICE REVIEW: PREMIER

KITCHENER, Ont.-The staying of corruption charges against six Toronto
police officers is "troubling" and could prompt the Liberals to
review systemic issues facing the province's justice system, Premier
Dalton McGuinty said today.

While opposition parties are calling for swift action - and even a
public inquiry - into the dropped charges, McGuinty said the
government has to be thoughtful and consider the judgment before
deciding what action to take. "It's a significant issue," he said
following a speech to party faithful in Kitchener, Ont. Saturday.

"We'll see, this could very well serve as a catalyst for us to look
at the broader system."

The Ontario Superior court judge who stayed the charges Thursday
criticized Crown prosecutors for "unreasonable" delays in getting the
case to trial.

The charges were laid in 2004 following a two-year, RCMP-led probe
into allegations of corruption, deceit and brutality among members of
Toronto's drug squad.

The investigation led to 40 individual charges against the officers,
including perjury, theft, extortion and assault causing bodily harm.
The RCMP had alleged that from 1995 to 2002, the officers forged
notes and police records, gave false testimony and affidavits to
obtain search warrants, and failed to account for seized evidence.

The province is now looking at grounds for appeal, McGuinty said.

"When these kinds of things happen, you want to do it as quickly as
you can without compromising our responsibility to be thoughtful,"
said McGuinty, refusing to say whether he is considering a public inquiry.

"I've asked the attorney general to take the time - all the time that
is necessary but no more than the time that is necessary - for us to
be thoughtful."

NDP accusations that the criminal system is in "crisis" is just
run-of-the-mill rhetoric, McGuinty said.

"They don't need to reflect," he said. "Our responsibility now is to
be thoughtful ... What people really want us to do is to do what is
right in the circumstances, what helps maintain confidence in our
justice system."

Conservative Elizabeth Witmer said the government needs to take the
time to review the decision, but the Liberals also have a
responsibility to let the public know what went wrong.

"I would hope that the premier is in a position to make a statement
in the very near future," she said, stopping short of calling for an inquiry.

"We need to take a look at the whole system and if justice is not
being done, we need to make sure that issue is addressed."

Attorney General Chris Bentley said lawyers at his ministry are
"working expeditiously around the clock" to determine whether there
are grounds to appeal.

But New Democrat Peter Kormos said the stayed charges reveal a
"crisis" and warrant a full public inquiry into chronic delays within
the justice system.

The corruption charges were likely a top priority at the attorney
general's office and were closely monitored by the media, he said.

If this case suffered from "unreasonable" delays that prompted the
charges to be stayed, many other lower-profile cases are also
probably getting dismissed, Kormos added.

"How could these charges have fallen through the cracks? How many
more serious charges are at risk of being stayed?" he said.

"It's clear Mr. McGuinty does not appreciate the gravity of this matter."