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The Judge's Charge, Crown v. Prior [page 3 of 3]
1908



Credits:
Court records for the Crown v. Samuel Prior, 1908. © Government of Canada. Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada (2011).
Source: Library and Archives Canada/Department of Justice fonds/RG13-B-1, Vol. 1425 (1,2), File 392 A, No. 72395.

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After his battle in the court, Haultain returned to battle in the legislature. On 14 August 1908, the second provincial election was held. Haultain's Provincial Rights party again sought to take power from Scott's Liberal government, but was once again defeated. Though Haultain had essentially been removed from administrative power, he did not shy away from the public eye. In 1912, at the retirement of Chief Justice Edward Wetmore, Haultain was appointed Chief Justice of Saskatchewan. This appointment, according to one writer, placed Haultain back into a position that he was the most effective at, for "[h]is mind was cast in a judicial mold rather than a political one, and when he was elevated to the bench he found his proper sphere in the calm judicial atmosphere of the court of appeal".

Throughout his career, Haultain fought for provincial autonomy, the rights of Western Canada, and the rights of every person placed before the court. Haultain believed in the stability and the infallibility of the institutions of the North-West Territories, and fought to establish and maintain them despite difficulties from the federal government. Because of Haultain's contributions to the institutional foundation of the North-West Territories, Hugh Amos Robson, a colleague of Haultain's and his partner in law for a short period, states, "If the Prairies ever come to the time for monuments to their statesmen, the first choice should be easy to name."