The Office of the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

(french: Cabinet du procureur général) is a part of the

government of New Brunswick The Government of New Brunswick (french: Gouvernement du Nouveau-Brunswick) refers to the provincial government of the province of New Brunswick. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867. The Provinces and territories of ...

. It is charged providing legal services to all departments and agencies of the government. The post of attorney general is the most senior legal official in New Brunswick and has existed since the creation of New Brunswick as a

crown colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Counci ...

in 1784 and for much of contemporary history the attorney general oversaw the

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

carrying the dual title of

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

, as is currently the case. Loyalist

Jonathan Bliss Jonathan Bliss (October 1, 1742 – October 1, 1822) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in New Brunswick. He represented St. John County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1786 to 1792 and from 1796 to 1802. He was born in ...

served as the first attorney general, beginning in the late eighteenth century. From 2006 to 2012, the Office of the Attorney General was separated from the Department of Justice. On February 14, 2006 when

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Bernard Lord restructured the cabinet, largely out of necessity, the basic functions of attorney general were separated from the Justice Department so as to allow Brad Green, the only

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

in his

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

, to take on a larger portfolio. The

Department of Justice and Consumer Affairs The Department of Justice is a part of the Government of New Brunswick. It is charged with the protection of the public interest and, as such, oversees the insurance industry, financial institutions, pensions and rental housing. The department w ...

was established taking over responsibility for "protection of the public interest" from the Attorney General. On October 3, 2006, Bernard Lord left office and was replaced as Premier by

Shawn Graham Shawn Michael Graham (born February 22, 1968) is a Canadian politician, who served as the 31st premier of New Brunswick from 2006 to 2010. He was elected leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Party in 2002 and became premier after his party captur ...

. Graham named T.J. Burke to be both Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Consumer Affairs, however in legislation to realign government departments passed on March 2, 2007 the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice and Consumer Affairs remained separate entities. A subsequent bill was introduced on December 19, 2007 specifying the role of the Office of the Attorney General as a separate department. However, the subsequent premier,

David Alward David Nathan Alward (born December 2, 1959) is a Canadian politician, who served as the 32nd premier of New Brunswick, 2010 to 2014. Alward has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick since 1999 and has been the leader of the P ...

, remerged the two departments into the Department of Justice and Attorney General in 2012. Alward again separated these roles in 2013, when Ted Flemming was named attorney general, with

Troy Lifford Troy Lifford is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the 2010 provincial election. He represented the electoral district of Fredericton-Nashwaaksis as a member of the Progressive Conservatives< ...

becoming minister of justice.

Attorneys general

References

{{Reflist
List of ministers and deputy ministers by department, New Brunswick Legislative Library
(pdf)

External links

Office of the Attorney General
Office of the Attorney General

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...