Editing John Sparrow David Thompson (section)

==Federal Minister of Justice==
After several failed overtures, Macdonald finally recruited Thompson to [[Ottawa]] in 1885. Macdonald generally thought highly of Thompson, remarking, "My one great discovery was my discovery of Thompson". Macdonald poked some fun at his recruit as well: "Thompson is a little too fond of satire, and a little too much of a Nova Scotian."<ref>Hutchison</ref> However, his rise in government was probably because of the influence of [[Ishbel Hamilton-Gordon, Marchioness of Aberdeen and Temair|Lady Aberdeen]], the wife of [[John Campbell Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair|Governor General Aberdeen]] and Macdonald's mentoring. She had great admiration for Thompson and wrote frequently about him in her "Canadian Journal".{{sfnp|Waite|1985|p=527}}

Thompson was sworn in as [[Minister of Justice (Canada)|Minister of Justice]] in September 1885 and won a seat in Parliament in October, representing [[Antigonish]].{{sfnp|Chisholm|1911}} In 1888, Thompson considered becoming a justice of the [[Supreme Court of Canada]], but decided against moving from the Minister of Justice, and Macdonald was also unwilling to part with Thompson, one of his strongest ministers.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Supreme Court of Canada: History of the Institution|last1 = Snell|first1 = James G. |last2 = Vaughan|first2 = Frederick |publisher = The Osgoode Society|year = 1985|isbn = 978-0-8020-3417-5 |location = Toronto|url = https://archive.org/details/supremecourtofca0000snel|url-access = registration |page=46}}</ref>

Thompson's most enduring legacy is the drafting and in 1892 the enactment of the first comprehensive ''[[Criminal Code (Canada)|Criminal Code]]''. It remains the main consolidation and unification of the criminal law for Canada.  As Minister of Justice before and during his premiership, he was the driving force behind this project. The Criminal Code provided a clear, standardized set of laws for the entire country, replacing a patchwork of statutes and common law, and remains a foundational element of Canadian law today.<ref>Keith Jobson, "The Genesis of the Canadian Criminal Code of 1892." ''Dalhousie Law Journal'' 14.1 (1991): 214+ [https://digitalcommons.schulichlaw.dal.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1624&context=dlj  online]</ref>{{sfnp|Chisholm|1911}}

===Louis Riel crisis===
When he returned to Ottawa, the [[Louis Riel]] crisis was in full swing. The question of what to do with Riel, who had been sentenced to hang for leading the 1885 [[North-West Rebellion]], was now Thompson's responsibility. Although Thompson was ill with kidney stones at the time of Riel's execution, Thompson made his first major speech to Parliament during the subsequent debate by arguing that anyone who encouraged Canadians to act against the state could not escape justice. The speech was notable and helped to popularize Thompson, and he quickly rose to become a leading member of the [[Conservative Party of Canada (historical)|Conservative]] government.{{sfnp|Chisholm|1911}}