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 of Solicitor General was formally abolished.[1]

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 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

References

1. Doern, G. Bruce (2005). How Ottawa Spends, 2005-2006: Managing the Minority. McGill-Queen's Press. p. 81. ISBN 9780773573307.