The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin PC |
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17th Chief Justice of Canada | |
Assumed office January 7, 2000 |
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Nominated by | Jean Chrétien |
Appointed by | Adrienne Clarkson |
Prime Minister |
Jean Chrétien Paul Martin Stephen Harper Justin Trudeau |
Governor General |
Adrienne Clarkson Michaelle Jean David Johnston |
Preceded by | Antonio Lamer |
Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada | |
In office March 30, 1989 – January 7, 2000 |
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Nominated by | Brian Mulroney |
Appointed by | Jeanne Sauvé |
Preceded by | William McIntyre |
Succeeded by | Louis LeBel |
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia | |
In office 1988–1989 |
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Appointed by | Jeanne Sauvé |
Personal details | |
Born |
Beverley Gietz September 7, 1943 Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada |
Spouse(s) |
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Children | Angus McLachlin (b. 1976) |
Alma mater | University of Alberta |
Profession | Lawyer |
Beverley McLachlin, PC (born September 7, 1943) is the 17th and current Chief Justice of Canada, the first woman to hold this position, and the longest serving Chief Justice of Canada in history. In her role as Chief Justice, she also serves as a Deputy of the Governor General of Canada.
McLachlin was born Beverley Gietz in Pincher Creek, Alberta, the eldest child of Eleanora Marian (née Kruschell) and Ernest Gietz. Her parents, who were of German descent, were "fundamentalist Christians" of the Pentecostal Church. She received a B.A. and an M.A. in philosophy and an LL.B. degree (winning the gold medal as top student and serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Alberta Law Review) from the University of Alberta. She was called to the Bar of Alberta in 1969 and to the Bar of British Columbia in 1971. She practiced law from 1969 until 1975. From 1974 to 1981, she was an Associate Professor and Professor with tenure at the University of British Columbia.
She has one son, Angus (born 1976), from her first marriage to Roderick McLachlin, who took care of much of Angus' upbringing. Her first husband died of cancer in 1988, a few days after she was appointed chief justice of the B.C. Supreme Court. In 1992 she married Frank McArdle, a lawyer and executive director of the Canadian Superior Courts Judges Association.
In 1980, she was appointed to the County Court of Vancouver and then to the Supreme Court of British Columbia. In 1985 she was appointed to the British Columbia Court of Appeal, three years later in 1988 she was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia. She was appointed by Brian Mulroney as a Puisne Justice to the Supreme Court of Canada on March 30, 1989, and was made Chief Justice of Canada on January 7, 2000 by Jean Chretien.