Prior to his election at the General Synod of 2004, he was the Bishop of Montreal and Metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province of Canada (which, despite its name, covers southern Quebec, the Maritimes, and Newfoundland).

He was viewed as one of the more liberal contenders in the primatial election, and was Canadian Chair of Affirming Catholicism.

Hutchison began his ecclesiastical career as a transitional deacon at Christ Church Deer Park in the Diocese of Toronto.

During the 2006 Canadian federal election, Hutchison co-authored a letter (with the Bishop of Toronto and Bishop Michael Pryse of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada's Eastern Synod) to deliver a plea for more funding to alleviate poverty in Canada.

He was succeeded by Fred Hiltz, the Bishop of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, who was elected Primate on 22 June 2007.