Bora Laskin

Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Bora Laskin was one of the nation’s most distinguished jurists and academics. He excelled in his study of law but was unable to find employment as a practising lawyer due to the discrimination against Jews in the profession at the time. Laskin opted for a career in academia and taught at U of T’s Faculty of Law for more than 20 years. Subsequently, he was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal and then the Supreme Court of Canada. He was elevated to Chief Justice by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1973, a position he held until his death in 1984.