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 Attorney General and 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 by Prime Minister Paul Martin and his deputy Anne McLellan.
Solicitors General
Name Prime Minister Tenure John Joseph Curran* Thompson Mackenzie Bowell vacant Sir Charles Hibbert Tupper Charles Tupper Charles Fitzpatrick* Wilfrid Laurier Henry George Carroll* Rodolphe Lemieux* vacant Jacques Bureau* vacant Robert Borden Arthur Meighen* Arthur Meighen* (acting) Hugh Guthrie* Hugh Guthrie* (acting) Arthur Meighen Guillaume-André Fauteux October 1, 1921 - December 28, 1921 Daniel Duncan McKenzie William Lyon Mackenzie King vacant Edward James McMurray vacant Lucien Cannon* vacant Arthur Meighen Guillaume André Fauteux Lucien Cannon (second time) William Lyon Mackenzie King Maurice Dupré R.B. Bennett vacantWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King Joseph Jean Louis St. Laurent Hugues Lapointe Stuart Sinclair Garson Ralph Osborne Campney William Ross Macdonald Léon Balcer John Diefenbaker William Joseph Browne vacant John Watson MacNaught Lester Pearson Lawrence Pennell John Turner Pierre Trudeau George James McIlraith Jean-Pierre Goyer Warren Allmand Francis Fox Ron Basford (acting) Jean-Jacques Blais Allan Frederick Lawrence Joe Clark Robert Phillip Kaplan Pierre Trudeau John Turner Elmer MacKay Brian Mulroney Perrin Beatty James Kelleher Perrin Beatty* (acting) Pierre Blais Pierre Cadieux Doug Lewis Kim Campbell Herb Gray Jean Chrétien Andy Scott Lawrence MacAulay Wayne Easter Anne McLellanas Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Paul Martin
(*) Not in Cabinet
References