Brian Dickson

When Brian Dickson was appointed in 1973, the Supreme Court of Canada was preoccupied with run-of-the-mill disputes. By the time he retired as Chief Justice of Canada in 1990, the Court had become a major national institution, very much in the public eye. The Court's decisions, reforming large areas of private and public law under the Charter of Rights, were the subject of intense public interest and concern. Brian Dickson played a leading role in this transformation. Engaging and incisive, Brian Dickson: A Judge's Journey traces Dickson's life from a Depression-era boyhood in Saskatchewan, to the battlefields of Normandy, the boardrooms of corporate Canada and high judicial office, and provides an inside look at the work of the Supreme Court during its most crucial period. Dickson's journey was an important part of the evolution of the Canadian judiciary and of Canada itself. Sharpe and Roach have written an accessible biography of one of Canada's greatest legal figures that provides new insights into the work of Canada's highest court.

'Both as a biography and as an exposition of judging at the highest level, this is a vital piece of writing. Were it a legal judgment, it would constitute a landmark.' -- Kirk Makin Globe and Mail 'The authors write in a style that rivals Dickson's for clarity and force.' -- Paul Truster Law Times 'This is an important and historic work ... With impeccable research and meticulous analysis, Sharpe and Roach give readers unprecedented access to Dickson's life and career.' -- Brenlee Carrington Winnipeg Free Press 'Not just a lawyer's book, nor simply a biography, but a book of important modern Canadian political history ... [Brian Dickson] takes the reader on a tour of what is unique about Canada through the life of one of its greatest citizens.' -- Chris Axworthy Great Plains Quarterly

Robert J. Sharpe is a judge on the Court of Appeal for Ontario. Kent Roach is Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto.