Bertha Wilson Honour Society

New!

Do you know an extraordinary Schulich School of Law alum? Why not nominate them for induction into The Bertha Wilson Honour Society?

The Bertha Wilson Honour Society has been established to pay tribute to a pioneer of the Canadian judiciary: The Honourable Bertha Wilson.

This new initiative of the Dalhousie Law Alumni Association and the Schulich School of Law will recognize our extraordinary alumni and showcase the geographic reach of their contributions to law and society.

Each year, one alumnus/alumna from each alumni branch and up to three additional alumni nominated by the Board of Governors will be honoured at the annual Law Alumni Dinner.

Known for her generosity of spirit and originality of thought

Born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, Bertha earned a Master’s degree from the University of Aberdeen, and emigrated to Canada in 1949 with her husband, John Wilson, a Presbyterian minister. John took up a ministry in Renfrew, Ontario, and later, during the Korean War, served a six-year secondment to Halifax as a naval chaplain. Wilson joined him in Halifax and enrolled at Dalhousie Law School where she graduated near the top of her class. She was called to the Nova Scotia Bar in 1957. She moved to Toronto in 1959, was called to the Ontario Bar, and joined the law firm of Osler Hoskin Harcourt, where she practised for nearly two decades.

In 1975, she became the first woman appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal. In 1982, she became the first female Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, appointed by then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, on behalf of the Supreme Court of Canada, said at the time of Wilson’s death: “Bertha Wilson was known for her generosity of spirit and originality of thought. She was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada the same year the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was enacted. As a member of this court, she was a pioneer in Charter jurisprudence and made an outstanding contribution to the administration of justice. She will be sorely missed by all who were privileged to know her.”

Nomination process

An initial call for nominations will go to all alumni across Canada. Both the candidate and the nominator must be an alumnus/alumna of the Schulich School of Law. Nominations for each province or region will be forwarded to their respective Branch Presidents. If there are no nominations submitted for a region, then the Branch President for that region may nominate a candidate. Each branch may nominate only one candidate a year. The Board of Governors may nominate up to three additional candidates a year. Recipients and this year’s nominees of the Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service, or honourary degree recipients from Dalhousie University, are not eligible for nomination to the Bertha Wilson Honour Society.

To be considered for nomination, candidates must have made exceptional contributions in one or more of the following areas:

• the legal profession
• legal education
• the judiciary
• their communities
• business and industry
• non-profit or charitable organizations
• the arts, or
• other activities that have made a exceptional contribution to law or society.

An advisory committee consisting of the President of the Dalhousie Law Alumni Association, a member of the Schulich School of Law, and a member of the Board of Governors will recommend candidates to the Dean of Law for induction to the Bertha Wilson Honour Society.

Nomination form [pdf] 

Deadline: February 24, 2012.

For more information: 
Karen Kavanaugh, Director of Alumni Relations
T: 902.494.3744 
F: 902.494.1316
E: lawalum@dal.ca