Can a self-represented litigant bring a friend or support person to help them in an Ontario courtroom?

Yes — Ontario courts generally allow a self-represented litigant to have a support person, sometimes called a McKenzie friend, sit with them in the courtroom to provide quiet, practical assistance. This kind of support typically involves helping organize documents, taking notes during the hearing, offering moral support, and quietly suggesting questions or points for the litigant to raise themselves. What a support person generally cannot do is speak directly to the judge, argue the case, question witnesses, or otherwise act as if they were the litigant's lawyer or paralegal, since providing legal representation in court is restricted to licensed professionals.

Whether a support person is allowed, and to what extent, is generally at the discretion of the presiding judge, who can set reasonable limits on their role to keep the hearing orderly and fair to both sides. It's usually a good idea to mention to the court at the outset that you have a support person with you and briefly explain their role, rather than assuming their presence and function are automatically understood. A support person can meaningfully reduce the stress and organizational burden of appearing without a lawyer, but they don't change the fact that the self-represented litigant remains legally responsible for presenting their own case.