He has studied in Canada and England, clerked at the Quebec Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada, and taught in London and Paris. Now at Queen’s Law, Grégoire Webber has been named among the “world’s most accomplished and promising minds” as a Canada Research Chair (CRC).

Granted a Chair in Public Law and Philosophy of Law, Professor Webber’s research focuses on foundational aspects of legal thought. As his summary on the Canada Research Chair website states:

"Do we have a moral obligation to obey the law? Can the infringement of our human rights be justified? How do the traditions of behaviour inherited from the Westminster Parliament guide and constrain the actions of Prime Ministers and parliamentarians?

"These are questions that we and governments confront every day. In filing our tax returns, in resolving conflicts between freedom of expression and the right to privacy, in determining how far the Official Opposition can go in opposing a government majority, these research questions are alive in our communities.

"By examining the foundations of law and government, Dr. Grégoire Webber’s research promises to improve our understanding of the answers we give to these and other questions. To do this, he is orienting his study around the basic practical questions, ‘How should I act?’, ‘What is it right for me to do?’. Answers to these questions situate law and government within the wider study of human affairs and of the role of the individual in community.

"The goal of Dr. Webber as Canada Research Chair in Public Law and Philosophy of Law is to enrich our understanding of the responsibilities of government, our responsibilities to each other, and our obligation to the law."

“It is a special privilege to be awarded the Canada Research Chair in Public Law and Philosophy of Law,” Webber says. “The Chair's two research areas build on strengths at Queen's and promote the existing interactions between colleagues in Law, Philosophy, and Political Studies.”

The funds associated with the Chair have made possible a new Colloquium in Legal and Political Philosophy, an exciting new course jointly offered by Queen’s Law and the Departments of Philosophy, and Political Studies. The Colloquium, currently being developed in association with several other colleagues including Queen’s Law Professor Jean Thomas, is anticipated for the fall of 2015.

“I am delighted to welcome Professor Webber to the Faculty of Law as our Canada Research Chair in Public Law and Philosophy of Law. In the short time since he has joined the Faculty, he has already had a major impact on enriching the research culture of the law school, including the exciting new Colloquium in Legal and Political Philosophy.” says Queen’s Faculty of Law Dean Bill Flanagan. “He will build on a long and distinguished Queen’s Law tradition of national and international leadership in teaching and scholarship in the area of public law and legal philosophy. ”

Webber joins two other Queen’s professors, Alan Giacomin (Rheology) and Jordan Poppenk (Psychology) as new Canada Research Chairs in 2015, alongside five renewed Chairs.