In Search of Justice: An Autobiography
2005
Published for the Osgoode Society by the University of Toronto Press
Cost: $47.25
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Description
As one reviewer wrote, this is a 'a tale well told of a remarkable life well lived.'
Born into a middle-class Jewish family in Vienna in the mid-twenties, he managed to leave his native
city on one of the last trains to freedom before the outbreak of World War II.
He found refuge in England, but in May 1940, along with thousands of others, he was interned as an enemy
alien and sent to Canada.
He was released in 1942, went to school and then to university, and found employment as a reporter with the
Montreal Star. Fascinated by the lives of famous lawyers, he entered law school in 1951.
He was called to the Bar of Quebec in 1955, having stood first in the Bar Admission Course.
He practiced criminal law for 18 years, taking part in many of the famous cases of that period.
In 1973 he became the first criminal lawyer to be appointed to the Quebec Court of Appeal, where he served
with distinction for 18 years.
Since his retirement in 1991, he led the Commission which examined the wrongful conviction of Guy Paul Morin,
an inquiry into the Public Prosecution Service of Nova Scotia, an inquiry into Nova Scotia's Compensation Scheme
for victims of abuse in residential schools, and an examination of safety issues in Ontario's nuclear plants.
He recently completed a two-year investigation of the merits of Steven Truscott's application to have his 1959
conviction for murder re-opened.
Kaufman's 'monumental' 700-page report resulted in an order by the Minister of Justice to refer the case to the
Court of Appeal. His book is a fascinating story of adversity overcome.
Reviews
This book has a great deal to offer readers who are interested in Canadian law, especially lawyers, jurists
and law students.
But it also provides a good account of an interesting life, and considerable insight into 20th century Montreal
history. Montreal Gazette
A powerful but moving story of the life of one of Canada's leading jurists, a story of determination and
courage that will fill Canadians with pride in their country.
This is a book not only to be read, but to be savoured.
Irving Abella, Canadian Historical Review, vol. 87, 2006
