Who was the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada?

Bertha Wilson was the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada.

She joined the court on March 4, 1982, after previously becoming the first woman appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal in 1975. Wilson served on Canada’s highest court until 1991 and became an important figure in the development of Canadian constitutional and equality law.

Wilson was born in Scotland, studied at the University of Aberdeen, and later earned her law degree from Dalhousie University. Before her judicial career, she practised law in Toronto. Her appointment marked a major change in the composition of the Supreme Court of Canada, which had existed since 1875.

A frequent mix-up involves Beverley McLachlin, who became the first woman to serve as Chief Justice of Canada, in 2000. Rosalie Abella was appointed later, in 2004, and Louise Arbour joined the court in 1999. They were trailblazers too, but neither was the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court.