Wilson, Bertha (1923-2007), was the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. She served as a puisne (associate) judge of the court from 1982 until 1991. Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau appointed her to the Supreme Court. Wilson had served on the Ontario Court of Appeal, Ontario’s highest court, from 1975 to 1982.
Bertha Wernham was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, on Sept. 18, 1923. She completed a master’s degree at the University of Aberdeen in 1944. She earned a teaching certificate from the Training College for Teachers in Aberdeen in 1945. Later that year, she married John Wilson, a Presbyterian minister. In 1949, the couple immigrated to Canada.
Bertha Wilson began to study law at Dalhousie University in 1954. In 1957, she completed her law degree and was admitted to the Bar of Nova Scotia—that is, the body of lawyers licensed to practice law in the province of Nova Scotia. Following a move to Toronto in 1958, Wilson was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1959. She practiced at a large law firm in Toronto and specialized in legal research. In 1975, she became the first woman appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal.
Wilson was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on March 4, 1982. In April, a new Canadian bill of rights, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, went into effect. Over the next several years, the Supreme Court of Canada decided a number of fundamental cases that defined the specific nature of individual and collective rights in Canada under the Charter. Wilson was known for the integrity and independence of her decisions as a judge. Her eloquent written explanations of the legal reasons for her decisions often reflected a unique perspective and remain influential today.
After retiring from the Supreme Court, Wilson served on a number of boards and commissions. In 1992, she was appointed as a Companion of the Order of Canada, one of the nation’s highest civilian honors. Wilson died in Ottawa on April 28, 2007.
