August 2 marks a return to work on Parliament Hill after a civic holiday – and for one Queen’s Law professor, the beginning of something wholly new.

Grégoire Webber, Canada Research Chair in Public Law and Philosophy of Law, will be entering the Department of Justice to begin a placement as the Legal Affairs Advisor to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.

“It is a special privilege to have been offered this opportunity,” said Webber, who will be on a leave of absence from Queen’s during his service to the Minister. “I hope to be able to make a contribution.”

Webber’s role is to provide perspective and insight to assist the work of Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould. Her mandate has a number of current and upcoming issues that will have a tremendous impact on society and that are legally complex, including a review of criminal justice charges and processes, particularly those impacting Indigenous Canadians, the legalization of marijuana, gaps in service for the mentally ill within our justice system, and the inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls.

This will be a return to the work of government for Webber, who began his career with the Privy Council Office. As Canada Research Chair at Queen’s Law, his research focuses on public law and the philosophical foundations of law, both of which will enrich his policy perspective.

Minister Wilson-Raybould is Canada’s third female Minister of Justice and Attorney General and the first Indigenous person to hold that office. As the Minister of Justice, she provides legal advice to Cabinet and has responsibility for the administrative of justice; as Attorney General, she is the chief law officer of the Crown and is mandated to ensure that the Government of Canada adheres to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“Grégoire will be sorely missed during his absence, but we’re pleased to be able to provide him leave for this opportunity,” says Queen’s Law Dean Bill Flanagan. “During his tenure at the law school to date, he has provided a wealth of energy and ideas, including the co-founding of our new cross-disciplinary program in legal philosophy. His selection for this role with the Minister is an acknowledgement of the quality of our faculty at Queen’s Law, and his experiences there will ultimately benefit the school upon his return.”