# Solicitor General of Canada

The Solicitor General of Canada (French: solliciteur général du 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.

## Solicitors General

| Name | Prime Minister | Tenure |
| John Joseph Curran* | Thompson | (1892-12-05) (1894-12-12)December 5, 1892 – December 12, 1894 |
| John Joseph Curran* | Mackenzie Bowell | (1894-12-21) (1895-10-17)December 21, 1894 – October 17, 1895 |
| vacant | Mackenzie Bowell | (1895-10-18) (1896-04-27)October 18, 1895 – April 27, 1896 |
| Sir Charles Hibbert Tupper | Charles Tupper | (1896-05-01) (1896-07-08)May 1 – July 8, 1896 |
| Charles Fitzpatrick* | Wilfrid Laurier | (1896-07-13) (1902-02-09)July 13, 1896 – February 9, 1902 |
| Henry George Carroll* | Wilfrid Laurier | (1902-02-10) (1904-01-28)February 10, 1902 – January 28, 1904 |
| Rodolphe Lemieux* | Wilfrid Laurier | (1904-01-29) (1906-06-03)January 29, 1904 – June 3, 1906 |
| vacant | Wilfrid Laurier | (1906-06-04) (1907-02-13)June 4, 1906 – February 13, 1907 |
| Jacques Bureau* | Wilfrid Laurier | (1907-02-14) (1911-10-06)February 14, 1907 – October 6, 1911 |
| vacant | Robert Borden | (1911-10-10) (1913-06-25)October 10, 1911 – June 25, 1913 |
| Arthur Meighen* | Robert Borden | (1913-06-26) (1915-10-01)June 26, 1913 – October 1, 1915 |
| Arthur Meighen* | Robert Borden | (1915-10-02) (1917-08-24)October 2, 1915 – August 24, 1917 |
| Arthur Meighen* (acting) | Robert Borden | (1917-08-31) (1917-10-03)August 31 – October 3, 1917 |
| Hugh Guthrie* | Robert Borden | (1917-10-04) (1919-07-04)October 4, 1917 – July 4, 1919 |
| Hugh Guthrie* | Robert Borden | (1919-07-05) (1920-07-10)July 5, 1919 – July 10, 1920 |
| Hugh Guthrie* (acting) | Arthur Meighen | (1920-07-10) (1921-09-30)July 10, 1920 – September 30, 1921 |
| Guillaume-André Fauteux | Arthur Meighen | October 1, 1921 - December 28, 1921 |
| Daniel Duncan McKenzie | William Lyon Mackenzie King | (1921-12-29) (1923-04-10)December 29, 1921 – April 10, 1923 |
| vacant | William Lyon Mackenzie King | (1923-04-11) (1923-11-13)April 11 – November 13, 1923 |
| Edward James McMurray | William Lyon Mackenzie King | (1923-11-14) (1925-05-22)November 14, 1923 – May 22, 1925 |
| vacant | William Lyon Mackenzie King | (1925-05-23) (1925-09-04)May 23 – September 4, 1925 |
| Lucien Cannon* | William Lyon Mackenzie King | (1925-09-05) (1926-06-28)September 5, 1925 – June 28, 1926 |
| vacant | Arthur Meighen | (1926-06-29) (1926-08-22)June 29 – August 22, 1926 |
| Guillaume André Fauteux | Arthur Meighen | (1926-08-23) (1926-09-25)August 23 – September 25, 1926 |
| Lucien Cannon (second time) | William Lyon Mackenzie King | (1926-09-25) (1930-08-07)September 25, 1926 – August 7, 1930 |
| Maurice Dupré | R.B. Bennett | (1930-08-08) (1935-10-23)August 8, 1930 – October 23, 1935 |
| vacant | William Lyon Mackenzie King | (1935-10-25) (1945-04-17)October 25, 1935 – April 17, 1945 |
| Joseph Jean | William Lyon Mackenzie King | (1945-04-18) (1948-11-15)April 18, 1945 – November 15, 1948 |
| Joseph Jean | Louis St. Laurent | (1948-11-15) (1949-08-23)November 15, 1948 – August 23, 1949 |
| Hugues Lapointe | Louis St. Laurent | (1949-08-25) (1950-08-06)August 25, 1949 – August 6, 1950 |
| Stuart Sinclair Garson | Louis St. Laurent | (1950-08-07) (1952-10-14)August 7, 1950 – October 14, 1952 |
| Ralph Osborne Campney | Louis St. Laurent | (1952-10-15) (1954-01-11)October 15, 1952 – January 11, 1954 |
| William Ross Macdonald | Louis St. Laurent | (1954-01-12) (1957-06-21)January 12, 1954 – June 21, 1957 |
| Léon Balcer | John Diefenbaker | (1957-06-21) (1960-10-10)June 21, 1957 – October 10, 1960 |
| William Joseph Browne | John Diefenbaker | (1957-10-11) (1962-08-09)October 11, 1957 – August 9, 1962 |
| vacant | John Diefenbaker | (1962-08-10) (1963-04-22)August 10, 1962 – April 22, 1963 |
| John Watson MacNaught | Lester Pearson | (1963-04-22) (1965-07-06)April 22, 1963 – July 6, 1965 |
| Lawrence Pennell | Lester Pearson | (1965-07-07) (1968-04-20)July 7, 1965 – April 20, 1968 |
| John Turner | Pierre Trudeau | (1968-04-20) (1968-07-05)April 20 – July 5, 1968 |
| George James McIlraith | Pierre Trudeau | (1968-07-06) (1970-12-21)July 6, 1968 – December 21, 1970 |
| Jean-Pierre Goyer | Pierre Trudeau | (1970-12-22) (1972-11-26)December 22, 1970 – November 26, 1972 |
| Warren Allmand | Pierre Trudeau | (1972-11-27) (1976-09-13)November 27, 1972 – September 13, 1976 |
| Francis Fox | Pierre Trudeau | (1976-09-14) (1978-01-27)September 14, 1976 – January 27, 1978 |
| Ron Basford (acting) | Pierre Trudeau | (1978-01-28) (1978-02-01)January 28 – February 1, 1978 |
| Jean-Jacques Blais | Pierre Trudeau | (1978-02-02) (1979-06-03)February 2, 1978 – June 3, 1979 |
| Allan Frederick Lawrence | Joe Clark | (1979-06-04) (1980-03-02)June 4, 1979 – March 2, 1980 |
| Robert Phillip Kaplan | Pierre Trudeau | (1980-03-03) (1984-06-29)March 3, 1980 – June 29, 1984 |
| Robert Phillip Kaplan | John Turner | (1984-06-30) (1984-09-16)June 30 – September 16, 1984 |
| Elmer MacKay | Brian Mulroney | (1984-09-17) (1985-08-19)September 17, 1984 – August 19, 1985 |
| Perrin Beatty | Brian Mulroney | (1985-08-20) (1986-06-29)August 20, 1985 – June 29, 1986 |
| James Kelleher | Brian Mulroney | (1986-06-30) (1988-12-07)June 30, 1986 – December 7, 1988 |
| Perrin Beatty* (acting) | Brian Mulroney | (1988-12-08) (1989-01-29)December 8, 1988 – January 29, 1989 |
| Pierre Blais | Brian Mulroney | (1989-01-30) (1990-02-22)January 30, 1989 – February 22, 1990 |
| Pierre Cadieux | Brian Mulroney | (1990-02-23) (1991-04-20)February 23, 1990 – April 20, 1991 |
| Doug Lewis | Brian Mulroney | (1991-04-21) (1993-01-03)April 21, 1991 – January 3, 1993 |
| Doug Lewis | Kim Campbell | (1993-06-24) (1993-11-03)June 24 – November 3, 1993 |
| Herb Gray | Jean Chrétien | (1993-11-04) (1997-06-10)November 4, 1993 – June 10, 1997 |
| Andy Scott | Jean Chrétien | (1997-06-11) (1998-11-23)June 11, 1997 – November 23, 1998 |
| Lawrence MacAulay | Jean Chrétien | (1998-11-23) (2002-10-22)November 23, 1998 – October 22, 2002 |
| Wayne Easter | Jean Chrétien | (2002-10-22) (2003-12-11)October 22, 2002 – December 11, 2003 |
| Anne McLellan as Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness | Paul Martin | (2003-12-12) (2005-03-23)December 12, 2003 – March 23, 2005 |
(*) Not in Cabinet