The chief of the country's biggest municipal police force spoke out Friday against proposed life-in-prison legislation, calling it a "political calculation."

Two days after the Conservative government announced plans to table the bill, which would make certain types of murderers ineligible for parole, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair said his experience as an officer makes him wary of such a drastic change.

"I think we've got a system that works," said Chief Blair, in response to a question about the proposed bill from an audience member at a Rotary Club lunch in Toronto. "I think that our criminal justice system reflects Canadian values, and I would hope that we would cling to those values, as opposed to whatever the political calculation of the day might be."

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Chief Blair, whose 10-year tenure heading the Toronto Police Service will end April 25, has been approached by the federal Liberal and Conservative parties about entering politics, according to organizers from both parties.

On Friday, he said he won't announce his plans while serving as chief – but he jokingly said to expect news on April 26, "probably around midnight, maybe just shortly thereafter." He said he would like to take another public-service job and has had several offers.

Chief Blair, who has spent 35 years in the Toronto police force, learned in July that his contract wouldn't be renewed.

On Friday, he said he felt police chiefs should try to stay out of politics and "just advocate for public safety."

"My sense is that particular rhetoric is a little political, and mostly intended as political," he said. "Having said that, I spent a lot of my life locking up bad guys, and there are some people, quite frankly, so dangerous that the rest of the world needs to be protected from them. … But I also believe, because I've sent a lot of people to jail and I've received them all back when they come out, [that] I think we've got a great system in this country."

Liberal justice critic Sean Casey said Friday that he didn't want to speak in detail about the bill until it is tabled, but that he would be looking at whether it's necessary, whether it's too broad, and whether it could be considered cruel and unusual punishment under the Constitution.

However, he said Chief Blair comes at sentencing questions with his own experience on what makes Canadians feel safe. "I can certainly appreciate and respect the point of view of someone who has dedicated their life to protecting the public in law enforcement," Mr. Casey said.

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A senior organizer in the Liberal Party recently told The Globe and Mail that, after the party approached Chief Blair to run, he responded by asking them to inquire again after his contract ends. Mr. Casey said he's hoping to meet Chief Blair "if he's successful in his nomination."

"We are actively trying to recruit electable people right across the country, and Mr. Blair is in that category and shares our values," he said. "We would welcome him with open arms."

Chief Blair has taken positions previously that are at odds with the federal Conservatives. In October, he spoke favourably about legalizing marijuana after the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health called for the drug to be legalized and regulated. In 2010, as president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, he also advocated to save the federal long-gun registry, drawing the government's ire.

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police declined to speak about the proposed changes to the parole system. The national association was advised about a month ago that the changes were coming and decided that people working in corrections, the parole system and social services were better-equipped to speak publicly about it, said spokesman Tim Smith.