In 1882, Burbidge was appointed federal Deputy Minister of Justice.
He is noted for having conducted the prosecution of Louis Riel during his trial for treason following the North-West Rebellion of 1885.
Two of his rulings that are considered especially important Burbidge was also active in community affairs.
Elected president of the Associated Charities of Ottawa in 1895, he helped found the Victorian Order of Nurses in 1897 and succeeded Lady Aberdeen [Marjoribanks*] as president, serving from 1899 until his death.
In his early years as a judge, he published A Digest of the Criminal Law of Canada,[1] which heavily influenced the groundbreaking Criminal Code, enacted by the federal Parliament in 1892.