The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of Canada, was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 4:00 p.m. ceremony on Sunday, November 14, “in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the Canadian legal system.”
Born and raised in southern Alberta, Chief Justice McLachlin completed a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Alberta. She first began practising law in Edmonton in 1968. In 1975 she began teaching in the Faculty of Law at the University of British Columbia until she was appointed to the County Court of Vancouver in 1981. She quickly rose to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 1988, where she served until her appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1989. In January 2000, she was appointed the Chief Justice of Canada, the first woman to ever hold the position.
Chief Justice McLachlin is the Chairperson of the Canadian Judicial Council, is a member of the Advisory Council of the Order of Canada, and is on the Board of Governors of the National Judicial Institute. She is a member of the Privy Council of Canada.
Chief Justice McLachin is the author of four books and countless articles and has been presented with numerous honorary degrees from Canadian universities across the country.