The role was created in 1867 to replace the
attorney general of Canada West and
attorney general of Canada East. As the top prosecuting officer in Canada, 'attorney general' is a separate title held by the minister of justice—a member of the
Cabinet. The minister of justice is concerned with questions of policy and their relationship to the justice system. In their role as attorney general, they are the chief law officer of
the Crown. The roles have been connected since confederation. As a result of controversy, following the
SNC-Lavalin affair,
Anne McLellan was appointed to review the roles and prepare a report on whether they should be separated. She recommended the positions remain combined. This cabinet position is usually reserved for someone holding a legal qualification. There have been exceptions:
Joe Clark only studied the first year of law at
Dalhousie University before transferring to
University of British Columbia Faculty of Law and dropping out to embark on political life. This cabinet portfolio has been held by many individuals who went on to become prime minister including
John Sparrow David Thompson,
R. B. Bennett,
Louis St Laurent,
Pierre Elliott Trudeau,
John Turner,
Kim Campbell and
Jean Chrétien (Clark became MoJAG after his time as prime minister). This is the only Canadian Ministry (other than that of the prime minister) which has not been reorganized since its creation in 1867. A separate cabinet position, the
minister of public safety (formerly known as the "solicitor general") administers the law enforcement agencies (police, prisons, and security) of the federal government. The Attorney General is usually appointed a
King's Counsel. == Ministers of justice and attorneys general ==