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 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]
| Name | Prime Minister | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Joseph Curran | Thompson | ||
| Mackenzie Bowell | |||
| vacant | |||
| Charles Tupper | |||
| Charles Fitzpatrick | Wilfrid Laurier | ||
| Henry George Carroll | |||
| Rodolphe Lemieux | |||
| vacant | |||
| Jacques Bureau | |||
| vacant | Robert Borden | ||
| Arthur Meighen | |||
Arthur Meighen
| |||
| Hugh Guthrie | |||
Hugh Guthrie
| Arthur Meighen | ||
| Guillaume-André Fauteux | October 1, 1921 - December 28, 1921 | ||
| William Lyon Mackenzie King | |||
| vacant | |||
| Edward James McMurray | |||
| vacant | |||
| Lucien Cannon | |||
| vacant | Arthur Meighen | ||
| Lucien Cannon (second time) | William Lyon Mackenzie King | ||
| R.B. Bennett | |||
| vacant | William Lyon Mackenzie King | ||
| Louis St. Laurent | |||
| Hugues Lapointe | |||
| Stuart Sinclair Garson | |||
| Ralph Osborne Campney | |||
| William Ross Macdonald | |||
| John Diefenbaker | |||
| vacant | |||
| Lester Pearson | |||
| Pierre Trudeau | |||
| Ron Basford (acting) | |||
| Joe Clark | |||
| Pierre Trudeau | |||
| John Turner | |||
| Brian Mulroney | |||
Perrin Beatty
| |||
| Kim Campbell | |||
| Jean Chrétien | |||
| Anne McLellan as Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness | Paul Martin |
(*) Not in Cabinet