University of Chicago Press Justice Bertha Wilson: One Woman’s Difference (Law and Society)

Bertha Wilson's appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1982 capped off a career of firsts. Wilson had been the first woman lawyer and partner at a prominent Toronto law firm and the first woman appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal. Her career and passing in 2007 provoked reflection on her contributions to Canadian society and raised the question, what difference do women judges make? Justice Bertha Wilson examines Wilson's career through three distinct frames – foundations, controversy, and reflections – and a wide range of feminist perspectives. Taken together, these provocative essays paint an intriguing portrait of a complex, controversial woman who made a deep impression on the Canadian legal landscape. Review The book is an excellent legacy of Madame Justice Bertha Wilson’s life as a lawyer, jurist, role model, and task force chair. Hers was a life that made a difference. -- Joan Brockman ― Canadian Journal of Woman and the Law, Vol 22 Justice Bertha Wilson is an original contribution ... this collection of essays reminds us that all women constitute themselves within conditions of overt and more ambient gender discrimination. Through the lens of one “extraordinary” woman’s life, this collection contributes to feminist attempts to develop theories that account for women’s capacity for agency, their negotiations, concessions, and transgressions of normative femininity – in short, the relative and shifting constraints and opportunities generated through our interactions with gendered social structures. -- Suzanne Bouclin, Faculty of Law, McGill University ― Canadian Journal of Law and Society, Vol. 25, No. 2, 2010 Review A fitting tribute to a remarkable woman and jurist. This collection explores not only her famous Charter and criminal law judgments, but also the rather-neglected commercial law opinions and her legal work before joining the Supreme Court. I commend the book to the many lawyers who knew her and miss her friendship and intellectual engagement, but especially to the readers who know her only through her judicial writing. You will understand both her and the law better after reading these essays. -- Donna Greschner, Dean of Law, University of Victoria Book Description A timely, evocative exploration of Bertha Wilson's life and career. From the Inside Flap Justice Bertha Wilson's career is examined through three distinct frames - foundations, controversy, and reflections - and a wide range of feminist perspectives. Taken together, these provocative essays paint a nuanced portrait of a complex, controversial woman who made a deep impression on the Canadian legal landscape. From the Back Cover Justice Bertha Wilson's career is examined through three distinct frames - foundations, controversy, and reflections - and a wide range of feminist perspectives. Taken together, these provocative essays paint a nuanced portrait of a complex, controversial woman who made a deep impression on the Canadian legal landscape. About the Author Kim Brooks is an associate professor and the H. Heward Stikeman Chair in the Law of Taxation in the Faculty of Law at McGill University. Contributors: Elizabeth Adjin-Tettey, Beverley Baines, Marie-Claire Belleau, Janine Benedet, Susan B. Boyd, Melina Buckley, Rosemary Cairns Way, Gillian Calder, T. Brettel Dawson, Angela Fernandez, Isabel Grant, Rebecca Johnson, Larissa Katz, Claire L’Heureux-Dubé, Moira L. McConnell, Mary Jane Mossman, Shannon O’Byrne, Debra Parkes, Janis Sarra, Beatrice Tice, Lorna Turnbull, and Christina Vinters