“Sweeping Away the Cobwebs”: Madam Justice Rosalie Abella on Justice Advocacy and Social Change

For former Madam Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella, justice advocacy isn’t limited to the confines of a courtroom. It is about channeling one’s skills, knowledge and passion toward creating system-wide change and “sweeping away the cobwebs” of injustice. As a Supreme Court Justice, she oversaw landmark decisions including an opinion that paved the way for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada in 2004. 

 

We also hear perspectives from Indigenous lawyer Eleanore Sunchild Q.C. and Nicole Sarauer, a lawyer and NDP MLA for Regina Douglas Park. And in our letters segment, Beth sits down with her colleague Jamesy Patrick, an Assistant Professor at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law, to discuss her own work advocating for social change and bringing equity and change to the workplace. 

 

GUESTS/PANELISTS

 

Madam Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella, Samuel LLM ’55, SJD ’59 and Judith Pisar Visiting Professor of Law 2023-2024

Justice Abella’s legal career has been marked by a series of firsts: she was the first Jewish woman appointed to Canada’s top court; the first pregnant woman appointed to the judiciary in Canada; and the first refugee appointed to the bench in Canada. She graduated from University College in 1967, earned her law degree at U of T in 1970 and received an honorary degree from U of T in 1990.

Among her many accolades, Abella was presented with the Rose Wolfe Distinguished Alumni Award in 2019 in recognition of her outstanding contributions to U of T, Canada and the world. In 2020, she was honoured with Germany’s Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit, one of the country’s top national decorations for non-civilians, in recognition of the lessons she has drawn from the Holocaust about the need to protect minority rights and democracy.

Since her retirement from the Court in 2021, she has been the Samuel and Judith Pisar Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. In 2023,  she received an honourary degree from the University of Saskatchewan.

 

Eleanore Sunchild, K.C. is an Indigenous lawyer from the Thunderchild First Nation and received her call to the Saskatchewan Bar in 1999.  Eleanore Sunchild, Q.C. has represented clients across Canada and has appeared in all levels of court across Canada.

She is most proud of her representation of Debbie Baptiste at the Supreme Court of Canada as an intervenor in the case of R. v. Chonan, where the elimination of peremptory challenges was upheld. Eleanore Sunchild, Q.C. graduated from the University of Alberta, Faculty of Law, obtained a B.A. in Political Science and studied French immersion at the Faculté  St. Jean, U of A.  She is sought after for her knowledge of the Indian Residential school system, 60s scoop and the resistance and continuous impact on Indigenous Peoples.

 

Nicole Sarauer, is a mom, pal, lawyer, lover of live music and, since 2016, MLA for Regina Douglas Park. After legal studies in Saskatoon, Nicole returned to her hometown of Regina and worked in private practice and at a provincial charity giving free legal representation to those unable to afford it. She continues to offer free legal aid through Pro Bono Law Saskatchewan and has also volunteered her time to the Regina Sexual Assault Centre, Amnesty International, the YWCA and the Regina Catholic School Board (as Trustee). 

 

Jamesy Patrick received both her JD (2012) and LLM (2017) from the University of Saskatchewan. Prior to that, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree cum laude in Dance (2006). Before joining the College of Law as an Assistant Professor in 2022, she practiced law in Saskatoon with a focus on child protection matters and Indigenous governance in relation to child protection. 

 

PHOTO CREDITS: 

Photo of Madam Justice Rosalie Abella (Photo credit: Randy Belice for Northwestern Law) Creative Commons