Louise Arbour was born in Montreal, Quebec to Bernard and Rose (née Ravary) Arbour, the owners of a hotel chain. She attended convent school, during which time her parents divorced. As editor of the school magazine, she earned a reputation for irreverence.[4]
In 1967, she graduated from Collège Regina Assumpta, and proceeded to the Université de Montréal where she completed an LL.B. with distinction in 1970. She was a law clerk for Justice Louis-Philippe Pigeon of the Supreme Court of Canada from 1971–1972 while completing graduate studies at the Faculty of Law (Civil Section) of the University of Ottawa. This is where she met her long time common-law partner Larry Taman, with whom she lived for 27 years.[5] In a 2014 interview, Arbour named the move from Quebec to Ontario as the "biggest hurdle [she] had to overcome to succeed in [her] career," as her entire education had been in French.[6]
She has three adult children: Emilie, Patrick and Catherine.[7] Her daughter Emilie Taman was an NDP candidate in the 2015 Canadian election in the electoral district of Ottawa—Vanier.[8] Emilie also was a candidate for the NDP in the 2017 by-election[9] and 2019 general election.[10] She also has three grandchildren.[6]
From 1972–73, Arbour was research officer for the Law Reform Commission of Canada. She then taught at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, first as a Lecturer (1974), then as Assistant Professor (1975), Associate Professor (1977–1987), and finally as Associate Professor and Associate Dean (1987). She was vice-president of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association until her appointment to the Supreme Court of Ontario (High Court of Justice) in 1987 and to the Court of Appeal for Ontario in 1990. In 1995, Arbour was appointed as President of a Commission of Inquiry, under the Inquiries Act, for the purpose of investigating and reporting on events at the Prison for Women in Kingston, Ontario, following allegations by prisoners of abuse.[12] The inquiry resulted in the publication of the Arbour Report.
In 1999, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appointed Arbour to the Supreme Court of Canada on May 26, just one day before the publication of the indictment of Milosevic by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).[14]
In 2004, Arbour retired from the Supreme Court of Canada, having served for just under five years.[15][16]
Career after law
United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights
After leaving the Supreme Court of Canada, Arbour became the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights.[15] She criticized a number of countries for their human rights records.[17] In 2008, she stepped down after serving one four year term.[17]
Works and awards
She has published works in the areas of criminal procedure and criminal law, in both French and English. At various times, she has served as an editor for the Criminal Reports, the Canadian Rights Reporter, and the Osgoode Hall Law Journal.[18]
In 2005, Arbour was awarded the Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights, along with Justice Richard Goldstone, in recognition of her work on the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.[19] She was the subject of a 2005 fact-based Canadian-German made-for-television movie, Hunt for Justice [de], which follows her quest to indict Bosnian Serb war criminals. Arbour was played by Canadian actress Wendy Crewson.[20] In 2016, she was awarded the prestigious Tang Prize Award in rule of law for her enduring contributions to international criminal justice and the protection of human rights, and to promoting peace, justice and security at home and abroad, and to working within the law to expand the frontiers of freedom for all.
She was made a Companion to the Order of Canada in 2007 "for her contributions to the Canadian justice system and for her dedication to the advancement of human rights throughout the world".[21] She was made a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec in 2009.[22]
In April 2021, Arbour was appointed to lead an independent review of the military’s handling of sexual assault, harassment and other misconduct, by Canadian Minister of National DefenceHarjit Sajjan.[30] In May 2022, she delivered her report to Canadian Minister of National Defence Anita Anand.[31]
The Canadian made-for-TV movie Hunt for Justice [de] (2005) is a docudrama account of Arbour's work as prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
