Madame Justice Claire L’Heureux-Dubé has been a critical leader in the development of equality jurisprudence in Canada and internationally and a tireless advocate of social justice for all Canadians. To mark her retirement from the Supreme Court of Canada, to celebrate her remarkable contribution and to ensure that her legacy is furthered, the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa is establishing the Claire L’Heureux-Dubé Fund for Social Justice to honour her and continue her commitment to compassionate justice.
Madame Justice L’Heureux-Dubé’s judicial career has been distinguished by her concern for the impact of law on men, women, children, persons with disabilities, persons of colour, the poor, members of the First Nations and on issues of sexual orientation. Her recognition of the importance of law and legal education in addressing historical disadvantage presents an enduring legacy for social change. The Claire L’Heureux-Dubé Fund for Social Justice will further her domestic and international legacy of progress and sustain the momentum of her extraordinary contribution.
In keeping with Madame Justice L’Heureux-Dubé’s understanding of the urgency of equality in Canada and internationally, the Claire L’Heureux-Dubé Fund for Social Justice will provide support for a series of projects throughout Canada over the next decade. Proposed projects include clinical student programs providing legal services to disadvantaged communities, test case litigation, expansion of the social justice curriculum, summer programs for law students and community activists who seek to use the law as a tool of social change, workshops and speakers, and recruitment of students from under-represented communities, among others.
For more information, please contact Constance Backhouse at (613) 562-5800 x3307 or backhous@uottawa.ca.
Liz Philipose est professeure d’études féministes à la California State University, de Long Beach. Ses recherches portent sur les droits internationaux de la personne, le droit humanitaire et les mouvements de critique sociale.
