Chief Justice of Canada
The Chief Justice of Canada (French : Juge en Chef du Canada ) is the presiding judge of the nine-member Supreme Court of Canada , the highest judicial body in Canada .
List of chief justices
Since the Supreme Court was established in 1875, the following 18 persons have served as Chief Justice:[ 2]
Name
Order and term[ A]
Length of term
Appointed on
Date of birth
Date of death
William Buell Richards Ontario )
1st
September 30, 1875 –
3 years, 102 days
Mackenzie
May 2, 1815
January 26, 1889
William Johnstone Ritchie New Brunswick )
2nd
January 11, 1879 –
13 years, 258 days
Macdonald
October 28, 1813
September 25, 1892 [ B]
Samuel Henry Strong Ontario )
3rd
December 13, 1892 –
9 years, 339 days
Thompson
August 13, 1825
August 31, 1909
Henri Elzéar Taschereau Quebec )
4th
November 21, 1902 –
3 years, 161 days
Laurier
October 7, 1836
April 14, 1911
Charles Fitzpatrick [ C] Quebec )
5th
June 4, 1906 –
12 years, 138 days
Laurier
December 19, 1851
June 17, 1942
Louis Henry Davies Prince Edward Island )
6th
October 23, 1918 –
5 years, 191 days
Borden
May 4, 1845
May 1, 1924 [ B]
Francis Alexander Anglin Ontario )
7th
September 16, 1924 – 8 years, 164 days
King
April 2, 1865
March 2, 1933
Lyman Duff British Columbia )
8th
March 17, 1933 –[ D]
10 years, 295 days
Bennett
January 7, 1865
April 26, 1955
Thibaudeau Rinfret Quebec )
9th
January 8, 1944 –
10 years, 164 days
King
June 22, 1879
July 25, 1962
Patrick Kerwin Ontario )
10th
July 1, 1954 –
8 years, 216 days
St. Laurent
October 25, 1889
February 2, 1963 [ B]
Robert Taschereau Quebec )
11th
April 22, 1963 –August 31, 1967[ E]
4 years, 131 days
Pearson
September 10, 1896
July 26, 1970
John Robert Cartwright Ontario )
12th
September 1, 1967 –
2 years, 202 days
Pearson
March 23, 1895
November 24, 1979
Gérald Fauteux Quebec )
13th
March 23, 1970 –
3 years, 274 days
P. Trudeau
October 22, 1900
September 14, 1980
Bora Laskin Ontario )
14th
December 27, 1973 –
10 years, 90 days
P. Trudeau
October 5, 1912
March 26, 1984 [ B]
Brian Dickson Manitoba )
15th
April 18, 1984 –
6 years, 72 days
P. Trudeau
May 25, 1916
October 17, 1998
Antonio Lamer Quebec )
16th
July 1, 1990 –
9 years, 189 days
Mulroney
July 8, 1933
November 24, 2007
Beverley McLachlin British Columbia )
17th
January 7, 2000 –[ F]
17 years, 341 days
Chrétien
September 7, 1943
2025-01-23 (living)
Richard Wagner Quebec )
18th
December 18, 2017 –Incumbent
7 years, 36 days[ G]
J. Trudeau
April 2, 1957
2025-01-23 (living)
Notes
↑ The start date listed for each chief justice is the day he or she took the judicial oath of office, and the end date is the date of the justice's death, resignation, or retirement.
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Died in office
↑ Appointed directly from the Cabinet , and never served as puisne justice; only time the chief justiceship has been filled from outside the judiciary .[ 3]
↑ Assumed vice regal duties as Administrator of Canada February 11 – June 21, 1940, following the death in office of Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir .
↑ Assumed vice regal duties as Administrator of Canada March 5 – April 17, 1967, following the death in office of Governor General Georges Vanier .
↑ Assumed vice regal duties as Administrator of Canada in July 2005 when Governor General Adrienne Clarkson underwent surgery.[ 4]
↑ As of January 23, 2025
References
↑ "Guide for Candidates" . Ottawa, Ontario: Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs. 19 October 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2018 .↑ "Current and Former Chief Justices" . Ottawa, Ontario: Supreme Court of Canada. January 2001. Retrieved November 12, 2018 .↑ Snell, James G.; Vaughan, Frederick (1985). The Supreme Court of Canada: History of the Institution Osgoode Hall , Toronto, Ontario: Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History. p. 90 . ISBN 0-8020-3417-9 . Retrieved November 12, 2018 . ↑ Everett, Jason K. (Summer 2016). "Beverly McLachlin, Canada: Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Canada" . International Judicial Monitor . Washington, D.C.: International Judicial Academy of the International Law Institute. Retrieved November 12, 2018 .
