Chief Justice of Alberta receives honorary degree

The Honorable Catherine Anne Fraser, Chief Justice of Alberta, received an honorary Doctor of Law degree during the 3 p.m., Friday, June 15 session of Convocation. Chief Justice Fraser was appointed Chief Justice of Alberta in 1992 and was the first woman to be appointed chief justice of a Canadian province.

She has been a member of the Canadian Judicial Council since her appointment as Chief Justice in 1992, and among other roles, has served as Chair of the Council’s Education Committee. She currently has a role as a member of Council’s Administration of Justice Committee, whose mandate includes improving the quality and delivery of judicial services for Canadians. Chief Justice Fraser also serves on the Judicial Independence Committee which is responsible for protecting and promoting the independence of the judiciary.

She played a leadership role in endorsing judicial education programs on such social context issues as gender equality, racial and ethnic equity and Aboriginal justice for Canadian judges. Over the past 20 years, Chief Justice Fraser has been instrumental in advocating for the rule of law, judicial independence and human rights internationally. She has been in involved in judicial education initiatives across the globe, including those in Australia, New Zealand, England, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Croatia, Taiwan, Zimbabwe, and most recently, in the Palestinian Territories.