The Hon. Mabel Van Camp

This oral history interview with Madam Justice Mabel Van Camp provides a comprehensive view of her pioneering legal career and her role as one of Canada’s first women judges. Van Camp discusses her law school experience at Osgoode Hall from 1944-1947, where she was one of only three women to graduate from a class that started with five. She details the significant gender discrimination she faced in finding employment after graduation, eventually finding work with Gerard Beaudoin, a solo practitioner serving Toronto’s French Canadian community, where she specialized in family law and divorce proceedings.

The interview covers Van Camp’s transition from private practice to her historic judicial appointment in 1971 as one of the first women judges in Canada. She discusses the practical challenges of early judicial service, from getting properly fitted judicial robes to handling complex cases including her first murder trial, Regina v. Phillion. Throughout the interview, Van Camp reflects on her judicial philosophy, court procedures, and the evolution of Canadian law, particularly in family law and criminal matters. Her experiences provide valuable insight into the transformation of the legal profession and the judiciary during a pivotal period in Canadian legal history, offering perspectives on gender barriers, professional development, and the administration of justice in the mid-20th century.

This description was written by AI and may contain some inaccuracies.