Brian Dickson

Brian Dickson
15th Chief Justice of Canada
In office
April 18, 1984 – June 30, 1990
Nominated byPierre Trudeau
Appointed byEdward Schreyer
Preceded byBora Laskin
Succeeded byAntonio Lamer
Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
In office
March 26, 1973 – April 18, 1984
Nominated byPierre Trudeau
Preceded byEmmett Hall
Succeeded byGerald Le Dain
Justice of the Manitoba Court of Appeal
In office
1967–1973
Nominated byLester B. Pearson
Justice of the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench
In office
1963–1967
Personal details
Born
Robert George Brian Dickson

(1916-05-25)May 25, 1916
Yorkton, Saskatchewan
DiedOctober 17, 1998(1998-10-17) (aged 82)
Ottawa, Ontario
Spouse(s)Barbara Dickson, née Sellers
Alma materUniversity of Manitoba
ProfessionLawyer
AwardsMentioned in Dispatches
Military service
AllegianceCanadian Army
Branch/serviceRoyal Canadian Artillery
Years of service1939-1945
Rankcaptain; honorary colonel, 30th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
Battles/warsBattle of Normandy
Falaise Gap

Robert George Brian Dickson PC CC CD (May 25, 1916 – October 17, 1998) was a Canadian lawyer, military officer and judge. He was appointed a puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada on March 26, 1973, and subsequently appointed the 15th Chief Justice of Canada on April 18, 1984. He retired on June 30, 1990.

Dickson's tenure as chief justice coincided with the first wave of cases under the new Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which reached the Supreme Court from 1984 onwards. Dickson wrote several very influential judgments dealing with the Charter and laid the groundwork for the approach that the courts would take to the Charter.[citation needed]