The following is a list of the Chief Justices of Canada, from 1875 to the present. The Chief Justice presides over the Supreme Court of Canada.
| Name
| Province
| Term
|
| Sir William Buell Richards
| Ontario
| September 30, 1875 – January 10, 1879 1
|
| Sir William Johnstone Ritchie
| New Brunswick
| January 11, 1879 – September 25, 1892
|
| Sir Samuel Henry Strong
| Ontario
| December 13, 1892 – November 18, 1902
|
| Sir Henri Elzéar Taschereau
| Quebec
| November 21, 1902 – May 2, 1906
|
| Sir Charles Fitzpatrick
| Quebec
| June 4, 1906 – November 21, 19181
|
| Sir Louis Henry Davies
| Prince Edward Island
| November 23, 1918 – May 1, 1924
|
| Francis Alexander Anglin
| Ontario
| September 16, 1924 – February 28, 1933
|
| Sir Lyman Poore Duff
| British Columbia
| March 17, 1933 –January 2, 19442
|
| Thibaudeau Rinfret
| Quebec
| January 8, 1944 – June 22, 1954
|
| Patrick Kerwin
| Ontario
| July 1, 1954 – February 2, 1963
|
| Robert Taschereau
| Quebec
| April 22, 1963 – September 1, 1967 2
|
| John Robert Cartwright
| Ontario
| September 1, 1967 – March 23, 1970
|
| Gérald Fauteux
| Quebec
| March 23, 1970 – December 23, 1973
|
| Bora Laskin
| Ontario
| December 27, 1973 – March 26, 1984
|
| Brian Dickson
| Manitoba
| April 18, 1984 – June 30, 1990
|
| Antonio Lamer
| Quebec
| July 1, 1990 – January 6, 2000
|
| Beverley McLachlin
| British Columbia
| January 7, 2000 – present
|
Notes
Note 1: Richards and Fitzpatrick never served as puisne justices, but were appointed directly to the position of Chief Justice. All other Chief Justices served as puisne justices before acceding to Chief Justice, usually (but not always) on the basis of seniority.
Note 2: In cases where a Governor General dies in office or leaves the position before a replacement can be named, Canadian tradition is that the Chief Justice assumes the viceregal duties until a new Governor General is appointed. Duff and Taschereau are the two Chief Justices who have served as Acting Governors General under this convention.
See also
