| Honorific-Prefix: | The Honourable |
| Pierre Blais | |
| Office: | Chairman of the Security Intelligence Review Committee |
| Termstart: | May 1, 2015 |
| Termend: | July 19, 2019 |
| Appointer: | Stephen Harper |
| Predecessor: | Deborah Grey (acting) |
| Successor: | Marie Deschamps |
| Office2: | 2nd Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Appeal |
| Termstart2: | September 22, 2009 |
| Termend2: | June 23, 2014 |
| Nominator2: | Stephen Harper |
| Appointer2: | Michaëlle Jean |
| Predecessor2: | John D. Richard |
| Successor2: | Karen Sharlow |
| Office3: | President of the Privy Council |
| Primeminister3: | Kim Campbell |
| Term Start3: | June 25, 1993 |
| Term End3: | November 3, 1993 |
| Predecessor3: | Joe Clark |
| Successor3: | Marcel Massé |
| Office4: | Minister of Justice |
| Primeminister4: | Brian Mulroney Kim Campbell |
| Term Start4: | January 4, 1993 |
| Term End4: | November 3, 1993 |
| Predecessor4: | Kim Campbell |
| Successor4: | Allan Rock |
| Office5: | Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs |
| Primeminister5: | Brian Mulroney |
| Term Start5: | February 23, 1990 |
| Term End5: | January 3, 1993 |
| Predecessor5: | Bernard Valcourt (1989) |
| Successor5: | Pierre H. Vincent |
| Office6: | Solicitor General of Canada |
| Primeminister6: | Brian Mulroney |
| Term Start6: | January 30, 1989 |
| Term End6: | February 22, 1990 |
| Predecessor6: | James Kelleher (1988) |
| Successor6: | Pierre Cadieux |
| Parliament9: | Canadian |
| Riding9: | Bellechasse |
| Term Start9: | September 4, 1984 |
| Term End9: | October 25, 1993 |
| Predecessor9: | Alain Garant |
| Successor9: | François Langlois |
| Birth Date: | December 30, 1948 |
| Birth Place: | Berthier-sur-Mer, Quebec, Canada |
| Alma Mater: | Laval University |
Pierre Blais (born December 30, 1948) is a Canadian jurist and former politician and Cabinet minister.[1] He also served as the Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Appeal until his retirement in June 2014.
On May 1, 2015, Blais was appointed as chairman of the Security Intelligence Review Committee by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, replacing Interim Chair Deborah Grey who was stepping down from the Committee.[2] The SIRC was dissolved on July 19, 2019, with the creation of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency. Blais served as a member of the NSIRA until his term expired on May 1, 2020.
Blais holds both a BA (1968) and an LLL (1976) from Laval University.[1]
Blais entered the House of Commons of Canada as the Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Bellechasse, Quebec through the 1984 election.
In 1987, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney appointed Blais to Cabinet as Minister of State for agriculture.[3] Two years later, he was promoted to the position of Solicitor-General.[3] In 1990, he became Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs and, in 1993, was appointed by Mulroney to the position of Minister of Justice.[3]
Blais retained this position, and added the position of President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada when Kim Campbell succeeded Mulroney as PC leader and prime minister.[3]
Blais's political career came to an end when he was defeated, along with the Campbell government, in the 1993 election.
A member of both the Quebec and Ontario bar, Blais was appointed a Justice of the Federal Court of Canada, Trial Division, an ex officio member of the Court of Appeal and Judge of the Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada in June 1998.
Through 2004, Blais presided over hearings related to Holocaust denier Ernst Zündel's detention under a National Security Certificate. In February 2005, he ruled that the security certificate was valid and that the government could deport Zundel immediately.
On February 20, 2008, Blais was appointed to the Federal Court of Appeal. On September 9, 2009, he was appointed chief justice of the Federal Court of Appeal.[4]
Blais retired as Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Appeal effective June 23, 2014.[5]