| Years |
Events |
| 1868 |
Birth of the Department of Justice. |
| 1874 |
Arrival of the first civilian and Francophone at the Department of Justice. |
| 1924 |
A second Assistant Deputy Minister’s position is created for a civilian. |
| 1936 |
The Department moves to the Justice Building. |
| 1939 |
The first woman lawyer comes to work for the Department of Justice. |
| 1946 |
The Department acquires its first functional structure. |
| 1952 |
Birth of the Civil Law Section. |
| 1955 |
Guy Favreau arrives as Assistant Deputy Minister (Civil Law). |
| 1960 |
Amendment of the Department of Justice Act to provide for the appointment of two Associate Deputy Ministers. |
| 1960 |
Rodrigue Bédard becomes the first Associate Deputy Minister (Civil Law). |
| 1962-1963 |
The report of the Royal Commission on Government Organization (Glassco Commission) is tabled. It recommends that legal services be integrated under the direction of the Department of Justice, and that decentralization be achieved through the creation of regional offices. |
| 1965 |
The Department of Justice hires its first notary on a permanent basis. |
| 1965 |
The Montréal Office is opened. |
| 1969 |
The Official Languages Act is adopted. |
| 1970 |
Paul Ollivier is appointed to the position of Associate Deputy Minister (Civil Law). |
| 1976 |
The special report of the Commissioner of Official Languages is tabled. |
| 1977 |
Appointment of the first civilian and Francophone Deputy Minister (Roger Tassé). |
| 1978 |
The method of codrafting (or parallel drafting) is put in place. |
| 1981 |
Establishment of the National Program for the Integration of Both Official Languages in the Administration of Justice (POLAJ). |
| 1982 |
Alban Garon is appointed as Associate Deputy Minister (Civil Law). |
| 1983 |
First agreement on the distribution of work between Montréal and Ottawa. |
| 1986 |
The Civil Law Section becomes the Civil Litigation and Real Property Law (Quebec) Section. |
| 1986 |
Anne-Marie Trahan is appointed as Associate Deputy Minister (Civil Law). |
| 1988 |
Appointment of a second Deputy Minister with civil law training (John C. Tait). |
| 1993 |
Creation of the Civil Code Section, to support the Department’s efforts to harmonize federal legislation with Quebec civil law. |
| 1993 |
Notaries become eligible for the title of Queen’s Counsel. |
| 1994 |
Mario Dion is appointed as Associate Deputy Minister (Civil Law). |
| 1995 |
The Montréal Office becomes the Quebec Regional Office (QRO). |
| 1998 |
Introduction of the first harmonization bill. |
| 1998 |
Appointment of a third civilian Deputy Minister (Morris Rosenberg). |
