Speaker details

Biography

Chief Justice of Canada since December 2017 (Supreme Court Judge since October 2012) The Right Honourable Richard Wagner is the 18th Chief Justice of Canada. He presides over the Canadian Judicial Council, National Judicial Institute and chairs the Advisory Council for the Order of Canada. C.J. Wagner was president of the Association des Cours Constitutionelles Francophones from 2019 to 2022. He also fulfilled his duty to serve as administrator of the Government of Canada from January to July 2021. Born and raised in Montreal, C.J. Wagner earned his Bachelor of Social Science and Licentiate in Laws at the University of Ottawa. He returned to Montreal to practice law from 1980 to 2004. Throughout his legal career, C.J. Wagner led initiatives to help lawyers upgrade their skills and knowledge, such as the creation of the Centre d’accès à l’information juridique in 2002, for which he was awarded the Mérite du Barreau du Québec in 2005. In 2022, in recognition of his longstanding contribution to the advancement of the law, the Bar of Montreal awarded him its highest distinction, the Medal of the Bar of Montreal. In addition, for his outstanding contribution to upholding and promoting the rule of law, the World Jurist Association presented him with its Medal of Honor at the U.N. in New York in 2023. In 2024, France awarded him with the insignia of Commander of the Legion of Honour, the country’s highest decoration, for his exemplary services to the cause of justice. C.J. Wagner was appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec in 2004 and to the Quebec Court of Appeal in 2011. In October 2012, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, and sworn in as Chief Justice in December 2017. At his Supreme Court welcoming ceremony, C.J. Wagner spoke of the need for more transparency in the justice system, and works very closely with the Supreme Court Registrar to advance that goal. The Court has introduced plain language summaries of decisions called Case in Brief and produces an annual report called the Year in Review. The Chief Justice now holds an annual news conference and has directed the Supreme Court, for the first time in its history, to hear cases outside Ottawa. C.J. Wagner is a steadfast advocate for better access to justice, encouraging better funding for legal aid, urges lawyers to do more pro bono work and supports structural reforms to further modernize the justice system. As a judge, he has championed civility in and outside the courtroom. Civility and collegiality were the focus of his speech at the 2019 Cambridge Lectures. A passionate defender of the principle of judicial independence, the Chief Justice and Minister of Justice David Lametti signed an Accord in 2019 to formally recognize the Supreme Court’s full independence from the federal Department of Justice.