Canadian, Lawyers & Judges, Regional Canada, Canada, Brian Dickson, Judges, Canadian Biographies, Biographies 

Osgoode society for Canadian legal history 

"When Brian Dickson was appointed in 1973 to the Supreme Court of Canada, it was largely preoccupied with run-of-the-mill disputes. By the time he retired as chief justice in 1990, the Court had become a major national institution, very much in the public eye. The Court's decisions, particularly those concerned with reforming large areas of private and public law under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, were the subject of intense public interest and concern." "Brian Dickson played a leading role in this transformation. In this biography, Robert Sharpe and Kent Roach trace Dickson's life from a Depression-era boyhood in Saskatchewan, to the battlefields of Normandy, the boardrooms of corporate Canada, and high judicial office during a critical period in the history of the Supreme Court. Dickson played an important part in the evolution of the Canadian judiciary and of Canada itself. Engaging and incisive, Brian Dickson: A Judge's Journey presents a compelling study of one of Canada's greatest legal figures while offering new insights into the work of Canada's highest court."--Jacket. 

Part One: Introduction. 1. A Judge's journey. Part two: Life before the Bench, 1916-1963. 2. Prairie upbringing -- 3. Off to war -- 4. Law and business ; family and community. Part three: A Judge in Manitoba, 1963-1973. 5. Queen's bench -- 6. Court of Appeal. Part four: The Supreme Court, 1973-1984. 7. Starting Slowly -- 8. Gaining Ground -- 9. Compassion and Equity -- 10. Write and Rewrite -- 11. Fault and Free Will -- 12. Balanced Federalism -- 13. Patriation of the Constitution. Part five: Chief Justice and the Charter, 1984-1990. 14. Chief Justice -- 15. Building the Foundations -- 16. Continuity and Change -- 17. Cracks in the Foundations -- 18. Feeling the Strain -- 19. Equality Rights -- 20. Language Rights and National Unity -- 21. The Honour of the Crown. Part six: Retirement, 1990-1998. 22. Dickson of Canada. 

Includes bibliographical references (pages 483-551) and index.