Rosalie Abella (photo by George Pimentel)
Rosalie Abella inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame
Published: December 13, 2023
Rosalie Abella, retired Supreme Court of Canada justice and a distinguished jurist-in-residence at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law, has been for her commitment to advancing human welfare and social justice.
The humanitarianism pillar of Canada’s Walk of Fame celebrates inductees’ “compassion, empathy, and unwavering dedication to making the world a better place.”
A dual graduate of U of T's University College and Faculty of Law, Abella practised civil and criminal law before her judicial appointment to the Ontario Family Court at age 29. She was named to the Ontario Court of Appeal in 1992 and was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2004. She was the first refugee appointed to the bench in Canada, as well the first Jewish woman appointed to Canada’s top court.
Among her many contributions to legal thought and jurisprudence, Abella created the term and concept of "employment equity" when she was the sole commissioner of the 1984 federal Royal Commission on Equality in Employment. The report has been implemented by the governments of Canada, New Zealand, Northern Ireland and South Africa
