The Department of Political Science Annual Hurtig Lecture
on the Future of Canada
Thursday, October 28, 2021 - 7:00pm MDT
A public keynote featuring former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada,
the Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin
"40 Years of the Charter: Where We've Been and Where We're Going"
Cet événement sera présenté en français et en anglais. This event was presented in French and English.
The Hurtig Annual Lecture on the future of Canada was launched by the Department of Political Science in the Faculty of Arts in 2006 to mark Alberta's Centennial Year and to honour an outstanding Edmontonian and Canadian citizen.
The primary goal of the Hurtig Lecture series is to cultivate a national platform at the University of Alberta for leading opinion leaders to deliver lectures that provoke, educate, and generate a more inclusive understanding of our collective experiences and responsibilities as engaged citizens in an ever-more interdependent and complex world.
The Right Honourable Beverly McLachlin is an icon. Full stop. There's no other way to describe the small-town girl from Alberta who grew up to become the first woman and longest serving Chief Justice of Canada. If you are lucky enough to see her speak, you'll hear a thoughtful reflection on her rich, wide-ranging career and her time as Chief Justice (which she calls the "centrepiece of her life"). You'll marvel at her deep knowledge of so many hot-button issues—from mental health to diversity to politics to the justice system and beyond. You'll love how bold she is; how unafraid to dig into the challenges Canadians are facing right now. And above all, you'll walk away with that special buzzing feeling you only get when you know you just witnessed something very, very special.
The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin is the former Chief Justice of Canada. She is both the first woman in Canada to hold this position and the longest serving Chief Justice of Canada.
Her judicial career began in April 1981 when she was appointed to the Vancouver County Court. In September 1981, she was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia. She was elevated to the British Columbia Court of Appeal in December 1985 and was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in September 1988. Seven months later, in April 1989, she was sworn in as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. On January 7, 2000, she was appointed Chief Justice of Canada. She retired on December 15, 2017.
In addition to her judicial duties at the Supreme Court, the Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin has chaired the Canadian Judicial Council, the Advisory Council of the Order of Canada, and the Board of Governors of the National Judicial Institute.
She is the author of numerous articles and publications. Her first novel, crime thriller Full Disclosure, was published by Simon & Schuster in May 2018. It has been widely praised, including this review from Maclean's: "For page-turning legal thrillers, it’s hard to do better than this one, and not just because it’s by the ultimate insider: the recently retired chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada."
She spent her formative years in Pincher Creek, Alberta, and was educated at the University of Alberta (B.A., M.A, LL.B.). Before becoming a judge, she practiced law and taught in Alberta and British Columbia.