Description
Book SynopsisBoth lionized and vilified, Claire L'Heureux-Dubé has shaped the Canadian legal landscape and in particular its highest court. The second woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, and the first from Quebec, she was known as the great dissenter on the bench, making judgments that were applauded and criticized in turn.
L'Heureux-Dubé's innovative legal approach was anchored in the social, economic, and political context of her cases. Constance Backhouse employs a similar tactic. Rather than focusing exclusively on her high-profile cases and jurisprudential legacy, sheexplores the socio-political and cultural setting in which L'Heureux-Dubé's career unfolded, while also considering her personal life.
This compelling biography covers aspects of legal history that have never been so fully investigated, enhancing our understanding of the judiciary, the creation of law, the distinctive socio-legal environment of Quebec, the experiences of women in the legal profession,
Trade Review
[Claire L’HeureuxDubé: A Life] is an exceptional contribution to Canadian legal literature. Backhouse completely immersed herself in her subject by taking extensive French immersion studies, learning about the Quebec civil law system, and conducting close to 200 interviews over a ten-year period … the result is a meticulously researched but very readable biography of a leading figure in Quebec and Canadian law.
-- David Cameletti, Barrister and Solicitor * Canadian Law Library Review *
Table of ContentsForeword
Chronology
Introduction
1 Ewanchuk
Family Heritage and Childhood
2 Lineage: Of Elephants, Literary Salons, the Military, and Mozart
3 Early Years: Quebec City and Rimouski
4 Growing Up in Rimouski
Early Education
5 Life as a Pensionnaire with the Ursulines, 1937–43
6 Collège Notre-Dame-de-Bellevue: Classical Studies for a Baccalauréat, 1943–46
A Legal Education
7 The Decision to Go to Law School, 1946–48
8 Laval Law School Student Body, 1948–52
9 Laval Law School Faculty and Curriculum, 1948–52
10 Life Outside of Law School, 1949–52
Law Practice
11 Entry: A Law Firm Job, 1952
12 Sam Bard: The Man behind the Employment Offer
13 Business Law Practice
14 Marriage and Children
15 Family Law: The Later Years of Practice
16 Practising as a Woman
Quebec Superior Court
17 New Career Directions: “No” to Electoral Politics, “Yes” to the Bench, 1972–73
18 First Months on the Bench, February to October 1973
19 Immigration Commission of Inquiry, October 1973 to January 1976
20 Quebec Superior Court, 1976–79
21 Family Tragedy: Arthur’s Death, 11 July 1978
Quebec Court of Appeal
22 Appointment to the Quebec Court of Appeal, 1979
23 Appellate Judging, 1979–87
24 More Family Traumas
Supreme Court of Canada
25 Appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada, 1987
26 Early Days on the Supreme Court of Canada
27 Continuing Isolation on the Supreme Court
28 Fifteen Years of Jurisprudence, 1987–2002: “The Great Dissenter”
Selected Cases
29 Sexual Assault: Seaboyer, 1991
30 Family Law and Spousal Support: Moge, 1992
31 Human Rights for Same-Sex Couples: Mossop, 1993
32 Tax Law and Sex Discrimination: Symes, 1993
33 More Deaths, 1987–94
34 The Quebec Secession Reference: “The Most Important Case,” 1998
35 Fairness in Immigration Law: Baker, 1999
36 Epilogue on Ewanchuk
A Wider Stage
37 Judicial Education and International Influence
38 Retirement: A Much Heralded Exit
Conclusion
Notes
Index
