Ottawa celebrates Supreme Court trailblazer ahead of International Women’s Day

An event at city hall celebrated former Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella, a trailblazer on Canada’s Supreme Court. CTV’s Natalie van Rooy reports.

Ottawa celebrated a trailblazer on Canada’s Supreme Court on Friday ahead of this weekend’s International Women’s Day, which will mark women’s achievements in sports, politics and economics.

Speaking at City Hall, former Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella shared her insight with the crowd on being a woman in a male dominated workplace and why being true to oneself is the real way to succeed.

Abella was appointed as the first Jewish woman to the Supreme Court of Canada in 2004.

“I didn’t feel like a trail blazer, I was just doing what a client asked me to do and what a women’s group asked me to do,” said Abella, who spoke to Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe during the event.

The event featured a packed room with professionals from all different business backgrounds in the capital.

“I didn’t know in law school or in my own life, that life was exclusionary for women,” said Abella. “I had no idea and then I had clients and from my clients, I knew how very unfair the laws were.”

The event was hosted by Sutcliffe and Councillor Ariel Troster at Andrew Haydon Hall in City Hall.

“Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella was incredible,” said Troster. “I grew up following all of the court decisions of the Supreme Court and I feel very lucky because of Justice Abella’s decisions that I was able to marry my wife and to hear from such an incredible trailblazer.”

Abella was born in a displaced person’s camp in Germany before her family came to Canada as refugees in 1950. From there, she dreamed of being a lawyer and quickly rose the ranks throughout her career.

“To hear from a Jewish woman, especially in these times of heightened anti-Semitism, to hear her speak so proudly, so strongly about how important her Jewish identity is to her, was so meaningful, touching, and inspirational. It is truly an honour to be here,” said Jodi Green, the director of advocacy at the Jewish Federation of Ottawa.

Abella is a married mother of two. She says raising her family was the toughest job because of how important it was. She also shared a message on finding the right workplace.

“You need to be where you can be who you are because if you keep trying to fit yourself into a square peg and you’re round — I find round gets bigger and bigger every year — you won’t be happy,” she said.

For over a hundred years, International Women’s Day has celebrated achievements, marked gender parity and raised awareness on discrimination.

Now it comes at a time when more women than ever are excelling in sport, leadership, and politics.

“Be who you are. Be confident in who you are. Be strong in who you are,” said Green. “Stand up for what you believe in and make sure that you’re always honest to yourself.”

Ottawa will host a number of International Women’s Day events this weekend, including Femme Fest, a soiree, a luncheon, a run, and a market in the Glebe.

Abella retired from the Supreme Court in 2021 and is now a visiting professor at Harvard University among other roles in academia.

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