Role of the Court

The Canadian Judicial System

Court Building

Creation and Beginnings of the Court

Judges of the Court

About the Judges

Current Judges

Current and Former Chief Justices

Current and Former Puisne Judges

Speeches

Administration of the Court

Supreme Court of Canada Mission and Objectives

SCC Bibliography

Employment Opportunities

Planning Documents

Performance Reports

Proactive Disclosure

About the Court

Judges of the Court

The Right Honourable Sir Henri-Elzéar Taschereau, P.C., Kt.

View image details
of the Rt. Hon. sir Henri-Elzéar Taschereau, P.C., Kt.

Henri-Elzéar Taschereau was born in Sainte-Marie-de-la-Beauce, Lower Canada (Quebec), on October 7, 1836. He was the son of Pierre-Elzéar Taschereau and Catherine Hénédine Dionne. He received a classical education at the Petit Séminaire de Québec, then studied briefly at Laval University. Called to the bar in 1857, he practised law in Quebec City. One of his partners was his cousin, Jean-Thomas Taschereau, whom he later replaced on the Supreme Court of Canada. As was the tradition in his family, he entered politics and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Canada in 1861. After his appointment to the Superior Court of Quebec in 1871, he wrote many legal texts, including an annotated edition of the Code of Civil Procedure of Lower Canada and a similar text on Canadian criminal law. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on October 7, 1878. During his years on the Court, he also taught law part-time at the University of Ottawa. On November 21, 1902, he was appointed Chief Justice of Canada. He served on the Supreme Court for 27 years, retiring on May 2, 1906. Chief Justice Taschereau died on April 14, 1911, at the age of 74.