Lamer was succeeded as chief justice by Beverly McLachlin in January 2000. She was the first woman to hold that position. McLachlin's appointment resulted in a more centrist and unified Court. Dissenting and concurring opinions were fewer than during the Dickson and Lamer Courts. With the 2005 appointments of Justices Louise Charron and Rosalie Abella, the court became the world's most gender-balanced national high court with four of its nine members being female. Justice Marie Deschamps' retirement on 7 August 2012 caused the number to fall to three; however, the appointment of Suzanne Côté on 1 December 2014 restored the number to four. After serving on the Court for ( as chief justice), McLachlin retired in December 2017. Her successor as chief justice is Richard Wagner.