Ms. Marlys Edwardh

This oral history interview covers the career of Marlys Edwardh, a prominent Canadian criminal defence lawyer who practiced from 1976 to 2008 in partnership with Clayton Ruby. Born in Alberta in 1950, Edwardh attended Carleton University and Osgoode Hall Law School, becoming one of only 17% women in her law school class. She gained early expertise in extradition law and became a pioneer in challenging constitutional issues, particularly after obtaining her LL.M. in constitutional law from UC Berkeley in 1981-82, just before the Charter of Rights and Freedoms came into effect.

Edwardh’s career included significant involvement in public inquiries, serving as commission counsel in the Blood Inquiry (Krever Commission 1993-1997) and representing clients in the Marshall, Arar, and Stevens inquiries. She argued numerous groundbreaking cases before the Supreme Court of Canada, including R. v. Swain (establishing modern mental health review boards), R. v. Parks (sleepwalking defence), Burns & Rafay (extradition and death penalty), and R. v. Church of Scientology (search and seizure law). She also worked extensively on wrongful conviction cases including Guy Paul Morin and Stephen Truscott.

In 2008, Edwardh established her own practice focusing on national security law, constitutional cases, and representing clients under security certificates. Throughout her career, she has been active in professional associations including the Criminal Lawyers Association and has taught evidence and criminal procedure at Osgoode Hall and University of Toronto. Her work has significantly influenced Canadian criminal law, constitutional protections, and the treatment of mentally disordered offenders.

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