Foreword

• Author: Beverley Mclachlin
• Profession: Chief Justice
• Pages: 1-3

One

Foreword

CHIEF

JUSTICE

BEVERLEY

MCLACHLIN

Justice

Claire L'Heureux-Dube

is

invariably described

as a

"feminist."

And

although

the

label

has not

always been intended

as a

compliment,

it is one she

bears

with pride. Adding Feminism

to

Law:

The

Contributions

of

Justice

Claire

L'Heureux-Dube

appropriately celebrates Justice L'Heureux-Dube's feminism

and her

contribution

to the

advancement

of

women's legal

and

social equali-

ty.

This fascinating

and

insightful collection

of

papers

offers

a

comprehensive

analysis

of the

various ways

in

which Justice L'Heureux-Dube's work

and

jurisprudence

have advanced

the

cause

of

gender equality.

To

this compendious work

I can

only

add

some brief thoughts derived

from

the

years

we

spent together

as

colleagues

and

friends

on the

bench

of the

Supreme

Court

of

Canada. Among

the

many qualities Justice L'Heureux-

Dube brought

to the

task

of

judging,

two

related ones stand

out in my

mind—her

human compassion

and her

ability

to see and

understand

the

lived

reality

of

people's lives.

Compassion

is at the

core

of

Justice L'Heureux-Dube's judicial

philoso-

phy.

She

consistently approached

the

task

of

judging with consideration

for

the

hardships experienced

by

others.

As a

judge,

she was

always attentive

to

the

plight

and

situation

of

individuals

and

groups

that

have traditionally been

disadvantaged

in our

society. Justice L'Heureux-Dube's compassion

has

pro-

duced

in her a

near pathological intolerance

for

injustice

and

unfairness.

As

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