Beverley Marian McLachlin (born September 7, 1943) is a Canadian judge and author. She was the 17th Chief Justice of Canada from 2000 to 2017. This means she was the head judge of Canada's highest court. She was the first woman to hold this important job. She also served longer than any other Chief Justice in Canadian history.

Early Life and Education
- Family Life
A Career in Law
- Early Legal Work
- Becoming a Judge
Canada's Highest Court
- Chief Justice of Canada
- Retirement from the Supreme Court
After Retirement
- International Judge
- Author
How She Saw Her Role as a Judge
Awards and Honours
- Honorary Degrees

Early Life and Education

Beverley Gietz was born in Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada. She was the oldest child of Eleanora and Ernest Gietz. Her parents were of German background and were part of the Pentecostal Church.

She went to the University of Alberta. There, she earned degrees in philosophy and law. She was a top student and even won a gold medal for her excellent work in law.

Family Life

Beverley McLachlin had a son named Angus, born in 1976, with her first husband, Roderick McLachlin. Sadly, Roderick passed away in 1988. In 1992, she married Frank McArdle, who was also a lawyer.

A Career in Law

Beverley McLachlin had a long and impressive career in law. She worked as a lawyer, a university professor, and a judge at different levels.

Early Legal Work

After finishing law school, McLachlin became a lawyer in Alberta in 1969. She worked for a law firm in Edmonton. In 1971, she moved to British Columbia and continued her work as a lawyer there.

From 1974 to 1981, she also taught law as a professor at the University of British Columbia.

Becoming a Judge

In 1981, McLachlin was appointed as a judge to the County Court of Vancouver. Just five months later, she became a judge on the Supreme Court of British Columbia. This court handles serious cases in the province. In 1985, she moved up to the British Columbia Court of Appeal.

In 1988, she became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia. This meant she was the main judge for that court.

Canada's Highest Court

McLachlin on May 1, 2008, during a visit by the New Zealand Governor-General to Canada.

On March 30, 1989, Beverley McLachlin was appointed as a judge to the Supreme Court of Canada. This is the highest court in Canada. It makes final decisions on important legal questions.

Chief Justice of Canada

On January 7, 2000, McLachlin was appointed the Chief Justice of Canada. This was a very important role. As Chief Justice, she led the Supreme Court and oversaw many important cases.

One of her duties was to act as the administrator of Canada when the Governor General of Canada was unable to perform their duties. For example, in 2005, she temporarily took on the Governor General's duties when Governor General Adrienne Clarkson was in the hospital. During this time, she approved a law that made same-sex marriage legal across Canada.

As Chief Justice, she also led the Canadian Judicial Council. This group works to improve how judges do their jobs in Canada.

Retirement from the Supreme Court

McLachlin retired from the Supreme Court on December 15, 2017. She retired a few months before the mandatory retirement age of 75. Richard Wagner became the new Chief Justice of Canada after her.

After Retirement

After retiring from the Supreme Court of Canada, Beverley McLachlin continued to be active in the legal world and as an author.

International Judge

In 2018, McLachlin was appointed as a non-permanent judge for the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong. This court sometimes asks judges from other countries to help with cases. She was the first Canadian judge to serve on this court. Her term ended in July 2024.

She also serves as an international judge on the Singapore International Commercial Court.

Author

Beverley McLachlin has also become a successful author. She has written several books, including:

Full Disclosure (2018), a legal thriller novel.
Denial (2021), another novel.
Proof (2024), her third novel.

In 2019, she published her memoir, Truth Be Told: My Journey Through Life and the Law. A memoir is a book about a person's own life experiences. This book won an award in 2020.

How She Saw Her Role as a Judge

Beverley McLachlin believed that judges need to be very fair and understand different points of view. She called this "conscious objectivity." She explained that a judge should try to imagine how a situation looks from everyone's side.

She also thought that laws might need to change as society's values change. She believed that courts are important for protecting people's rights. McLachlin felt that the court belongs to the Canadian people and should reflect them.

Awards and Honours

McLachlin has received many honours for her contributions to law and Canada.

In 2008, the government of France made her a commander of the Legion of Honour. In 2018, she was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. This is one of Canada's highest honours, given to people who have shown great merit to Canada and humanity.

She has also received over 30 honorary degrees from universities around the world. These degrees recognize her achievements and contributions.

Honorary Degrees

Honorary degrees
Location	Date	School	Degree
British Columbia	27 September 1990	University of British Columbia	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Alberta	1991	University of Alberta	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Ontario	June 1995	University of Toronto	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Ontario	Spring 1999	York University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Ontario	2000	Law Society of Upper Canada	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
British Columbia	2000	Simon Fraser University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Alberta	2000	University of Calgary
Ontario	8 June 2000	Brock University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
British Columbia	November 2000	University of Victoria	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Alberta	Spring 2001	University of Lethbridge	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Nova Scotia	2002	Mount Saint Vincent University	Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)
Prince Edward Island	2002	University of Prince Edward Island	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Quebec	2003	Université de Montréal	Doctorate
Nova Scotia	2004	Dalhousie University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Northern Ireland	2004	Queen's University Belfast	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Manitoba	27 May 2004	University of Manitoba	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Ontario	14 November 2004	Carleton University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Maine	7 May 2005	University of Maine at Fort Kent	Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)
Philippines	2006	Ateneo de Manila University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Ontario	18 June 2010	University of Windsor	Doctor of Civil Law (DCL)
Ontario	2010	Ryerson University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Nova Scotia	2010	Cape Breton University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Ontario	2011	Queen's University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Quebec	June 2011	Concordia University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Ontario	26 October 2012	University of Western Ontario	Doctor of Civil Law (DCL)
Ontario	2012	Lakehead University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Scotland	2014	University of Edinburgh	Doctorate
Quebec	2015	Bishop's University	Doctor of Civil Law (DCL)
Ontario	31 May 2016	Laurentian University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Quebec	1 June 2016	McGill University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Alberta	28 April 2017	Lethbridge College	Bachelor of Applied Arts
Newfoundland and Labrador	19 October 2017	Memorial University of Newfoundland	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Ontario	2019	University of Ontario Institute of Technology	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)

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