Chief justices of Canada
| Chief Justice of Canada | |
|---|---|
|
Supreme Court of Canada Office of the Chief Justice |
|
| Style |
The Right Honourable Madam Chief Justice |
| Nominator | Prime Minister of Canada |
| Appointer | Governor General of Canada |
| Term length | No set term, though retirement is mandatory at age 75 |
| Inaugural holder | Sir William Buell Richards |
| Formation | 30 September 1875 |
| Succession | Assumes viceregal duties upon the death or incapacitation of the Governor-General |
| Salary | $396,700 |
| Website | Supreme Court |
The Chief Justice of Canada is the presiding judge of the Supreme Court of Canada. The Chief Justice is appointed by the Governor General-in-Council, who also appoints the other eight puisne judges of the court.
The Chief Justice is appointed by the Governor General-in-Council under the Supreme Court Act., on the advice of the Prime Minister of Canada. The appointment is subject to the Supreme Court Act, which governs the administration and appointment of judges of the court. Judges appointed to the court must be "a judge of a superior court of a province or a barrister or advocate of at least ten years standing at the bar of a province." Tradition dictates that the Chief Justice is appointed from a judge already appointed to the court.
The Chief Justice is sworn as a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada prior to taking the oath of office as Chief Justice.
The Chief Justice's central duty is to preside at hearings before the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice presides from the centre chair. If the Chief Justice is absent, the senior puisne judge presides.
The Chief Justice chairs the Canadian Judicial Council, which is composed of all chief justices and associate chief justices of superior courts in Canada. This body, established by the Judges Act, organizes seminars for federally appointed judges, coordinates the discussion of issues of concern to the judiciary, and conducts inquiries, either on public complaint or at the request of the federal Minister of Justice or a provincial attorney general, into the conduct of any federally appointed judge.
The Chief Justice also sits on the advisory council of Canada's highest civilian order, the Order of Canada. In practice however, the Chief Justice abstains from voting on a candidate's removal from the order, presumably because this process has so far only applied to individuals convicted in a lower court of a criminal offence, and could create a conflict of interest for the Chief Justice if that individual appealed their conviction to the Supreme Court.
Under the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, each province has a three-person commission responsible for modifying that province's federal ridings. The chair of each such commission is appointed by the chief justice of that province; if no appointment is made by the provincial chief justice, the responsibility falls to the Chief Justice of Canada.
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