Rosalie Abella

A woman speaks while sitting in a chair.
 

Rosalie Abella

From displaced person to supreme court justice
Date of birth
1946
Point of origin
Germany
Born in a Displaced Persons camp in 1946, Abella went on to become a supreme court judge.
A woman sits at a desk with a pen in her hand and paper in front of her.
Abella practiced family law in Ontario in the 1970s, and is shown giving advice on wills and inheritance in 1975.
Erin Combs/Toronto Star via Getty Images
Four people sit in a row, with one woman holding a microphone and leaning forward.
In 2019, the Supreme Court of Canada sat outside of Ottawa for the first time, convening in Winnipeg to hear two appeals. The justices also attended public events, including this one at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
The Canadian Press / John Woods
A woman speaks while sitting in a chair.
Abella has established herself as an internationally renowned jurist, particularly in the field of justice and rights. Here she participates in the exploration of the life of a prosecutor of the Nuremberg trial, Ben Ferencz.
Vertical Entertainment / courtesy Everett Collection

Rosalie Abella, 1946- , Germany.

Born in a Displaced Persons camp in 1946, Abella came with her family to Canada in 1950 via Pier 21. Her career in law includes appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada in 2004. Abella’s expertise on employment equity, human rights, and international criminal justice has earned her global recognition as a jurist.

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