Solicitor General of Canada
The Solicitor General of Canada was a position in the Canadian ministry from 1892 to 2005. The position was based on the Solicitor General in the British system and was originally designated as an officer to assist the Minister of Justice. It was not initially a position in the Canadian Cabinet, although after 1917 its occupant was often sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and attended Cabinet meetings. In 1966, the modern position of Solicitor General was created with the repeal of the previous Solicitor General Act and the passage of a new statute creating the ministerial office of the Solicitor General of Canada.
In recent decades the Solicitor General's department was responsible for administering the prison system, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the National Parole Board and other matters relating to internal security. In 2003 the position was styled Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and the portfolio expanded. In 2005 the position was formally abolished.
Solicitors General
1. | John Joseph Curran* | under Thompson | December 5, 1892 – December 12, 1894 |
under Bowell | December 21, 1894 – October 17, 1895 | ||
vacant | under Bowell | October 18, 1895 – April 27, 1896 | |
2. | Sir Charles Hibbert Tupper | under Tupper | May 1, 1896 – July 8, 1896 |
3. | Charles Fitzpatrick* | under Laurier | July 13, 1896 – February 9, 1902 |
4. | Henry George Carroll* | under Laurier | February 10, 1902 – January 28, 1904 |
5. | Rodolphe Lemieux* | under Laurier | January 29, 1904 – June 3, 1906 |
vacant | under Laurier | June 4, 1906 – February 13, 1907 | |
6. | Jacques Bureau* | under Laurier | February 14, 1907 – October 6, 1911 |
vacant | under Borden | October 10, 1911 – June 25, 1913 | |
7. | Arthur Meighen* | under Borden | June 26, 1913 – October 1, 1915 |
under Borden | October 2, 1915 – August 24, 1917 | ||
* | Arthur Meighen (acting) | under Borden | August 31, 1917 – October 3, 1917 |
8. | Hugh Guthrie* | under Borden | October 4, 1917 – July 4, 1919 |
under Borden | July 5, 1919 – July 10, 1920 | ||
* | Hugh Guthrie (acting) | under Meighen | July 10, 1920 – September 30, 1921 |
Guillaume-André Fauteux | under Meighen | October 1, 1921 - December 28, 1921 | |
9. | Daniel Duncan McKenzie | under King | December 29, 1921 – April 10, 1923 |
vacant | under King | April 11, 1923 – November 13, 1923 | |
10. | Edward James McMurray | under King | November 14, 1923 – May 22, 1925 |
vacant | under King | May 23, 1925 – September 4, 1925 | |
11. | Lucien Cannon* | under King | September 5, 1925 – June 28, 1926 |
vacant | under Meighen | June 29, 1926 – August 22, 1926 | |
12. | Guillaume André Fauteux | under Meighen | August 23, 1926 – September 25, 1926 |
Lucien Cannon (second time) | under King | September 25, 1926 – August 7, 1930 | |
13. | Maurice Dupré | under Bennett | August 8, 1930 – October 23, 1935 |
vacant | under King | October 25, 1935 – April 17, 1945 | |
14. | Joseph Jean | under King | April 18, 1945 – November 15, 1948 |
under St. Laurent | November 15, 1948 – August 23, 1949 | ||
15. | Hugues Lapointe | under St. Laurent | August 25, 1949 – August 6, 1950 |
16. | Stuart Sinclair Garson | under St. Laurent | August 7, 1950 – October 14, 1952 |
17. | Ralph Osborne Campney | under St. Laurent | October 15, 1952 – January 11, 1954 |
18. | William Ross Macdonald | under St. Laurent | January 12, 1954 – June 21, 1957 |
19. | Léon Balcer | under Diefenbaker | June 21, 1957 – October 10, 1960 |
20. | William Joseph Browne | under Diefenbaker | October 11, 1957 – August 9, 1962 |
vacant | under Diefenbaker | August 10, 1962 – April 22, 1963 | |
21. | John Watson MacNaught | under Pearson | April 22, 1963 – July 6, 1965 |
22. | Lawrence Pennell | under Pearson | July 7, 1965 – April 20, 1968 |
23. | John Napier Turner | under Trudeau | April 20, 1968 – July 5, 1968 |
24. | George James McIlraith | under Trudeau | July 6, 1968 – December 21, 1970 |
25. | Jean-Pierre Goyer | under Trudeau | December 22, 1970 – November 26, 1972 |
26. | Warren Allmand | under Trudeau | November 27, 1972 – September 13, 1976 |
27. | Francis Fox | under Trudeau | September 14, 1976 – January 27, 1978 |
* | Ron Basford (acting) | under Trudeau | January 28, 1978 – February 1, 1978 |
28. | Jean-Jacques Blais | under Trudeau | February 2, 1978 – June 3, 1979 |
29. | Allan Frederick Lawrence | under Clark | June 4, 1979 – March 2, 1980 |
30. | Robert Phillip Kaplan | under Trudeau | March 3, 1980 – June 29, 1984 |
under Turner | June 30, 1984 – September 16, 1984 | ||
31. | Elmer MacKay | under Mulroney | September 17, 1984 – August 19, 1985 |
32. | Perrin Beatty | under Mulroney | August 20, 1985 – June 29, 1986 |
33. | James Kelleher | under Mulroney | June 30, 1986 – December 7, 1988 |
* | Perrin Beatty (acting) | under Mulroney | December 8, 1988 – January 29, 1989 |
34. | Pierre Blais | under Mulroney | January 30, 1989 – February 22, 1990 |
35. | Pierre Cadieux | under Mulroney | February 23, 1990 – April 20, 1991 |
36. | Doug Lewis | under Mulroney | April 21, 1991 – January 3, 1993 |
under Campbell | June 24, 1993 – November 3, 1993 | ||
37. | Herb Gray | under Chrétien | November 4, 1993 – June 10, 1997 |
38. | Andy Scott | under Chrétien | June 11, 1997 – November 23, 1998 |
39. | Lawrence MacAulay | under Chrétien | November 23, 1998 – October 22, 2002 |
40. | Wayne Easter | under Chrétien | October 22, 2002 – December 11, 2003 |
41. | Anne McLellan as Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (Canada) | under Martin | December 12, 2003 – March 23, 2005 |
42. | Position abolished | 2005 |
(*) Not in Cabinet
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