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The Honourable Claire L’Heureux-Dubé
served on the Supreme Court of Canada between 1987 and 2002
and remains today one of this country’s foremost activists
in promoting human rights through equality.Her judgments endorsed
and defended equality rights and spanned many areas of law,
from family law to civil law to employment, taxation, and
criminal law.Throughout her career, she was steadfast in her
protection of women, children, Aboriginal people, people of
colour and other disadvantaged groups in society.
First appointed to the Bench in 1973 as a Quebec Superior
Court judge, the Honourable Madame L’Heureux-Dubé
was appointed shortly thereafter to chair a Royal Commission
into allegations of sexual exploitation of immigrant women
by immigration officers. Her recommendations were accepted
in full by the federal government. In 1979, she became the
first woman appointed to the Quebec Court of Appeal and eight
years later, she was the first woman from Quebec appointed
to the Supreme Court of Canada.
She received a LL.L cum laude from Laval University in 1951
with special awards in Civil Law and Labour Law. During her
career in private practice between 1952 and 1973, the Honourable
Claire L’Heureux-Dubé served as partner of the
firm Bard, L’Heureux & Philippon and later senior
partner with L’Heureux, Philippon, Garneau, Tourigny,
St-Arnaud & Associates.
Since her retirement from the bench in July 2002, she has
been named to the position of judge in residence at her alma
mater, Université Laval.
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