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Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford is repeating comments about judges on the campaign trail<\/a> that triggered a barrage of complaints from the legal community when he made them last year as premier.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After leaked audio emerged<\/a> of Ford expressing his support for the death penalty at the beginning of the campaign, the PC leader has been forced to defend his comments as a \u201cpoor-taste\u201d joke.<\/p>\n Speaking on Thursday, Ford said his death penalty comments \u2014 where he said home invaders who kill people should be sent to \u201csparky\u201d \u2014 were a joke borne of frustration.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know what my frustration is? And everyone\u2019s frustration behind me too is (when) their door gets kicked in, someone puts a gun to their head, threatens their family, steals their car, terrorizes neighbourhoods \u2014 we\u2019re done with that,\u201d Ford said, in response to a question about his comments.<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cWe\u2019re done with weak-kneed, liberal JPs \u2014 justices of the peace and judges \u2014 letting people out not once, not twice, not three, four, five times but eight times.\u201d<\/p>\n The comments mirror a series of controversial statements Ford made last March when he said he wanted to appoint \u201clike-minded\u201d judges who would enforce tougher bail rules.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to appoint some NDP or some Liberal,\u201d Ford said in March 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t