Constance Backhouse
Life Time Contribution
Dr. Constance Backhouse is one of Canada’s most distinguished legal scholars, educators, authors, and human rights advocates whose lifelong commitment to equality, social justice, and the advancement of women has left an indelible mark on Canadian society. Through her groundbreaking scholarship, exceptional teaching career, volunteer leadership, and tireless advocacy, she has inspired generations of students, academics, lawyers, and community leaders across Canada and internationally.
Born in Winnipeg in 1952, Dr. Backhouse earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Manitoba, a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, and a graduate law degree from Harvard Law School. She began her teaching career at the University of Western Ontario in 1979 before joining the University of Ottawa in 2000, where she continues to serve as a full-time professor and Distinguished University Professor in the Faculty of Law. Her teaching and research focus on equality law, women’s rights, anti-racism, legal biography, human rights, and Canadian legal history. Over more than four decades, she has become one of Canada’s foremost voices in feminist legal scholarship and critical race studies.
An internationally respected author and historian, Dr. Backhouse has written and co-authored numerous groundbreaking books and scholarly works examining racism, sexual harassment, violence against women, legal inequality, and the role of women in Canada’s legal system. Her influential publications, including Petticoats and Prejudice, Colour-Coded, Carnal Crimes, Claire L’Heureux-Dubé: A Life, and Reckoning with Racism, have transformed legal scholarship in Canada and shaped national conversations on equality and justice. Her early work on workplace sexual harassment, co-authored with Leah Cohen, was among the first published in North America and helped bring public awareness to issues that were largely ignored at the time.
Beyond her academic accomplishments, Dr. Backhouse has dedicated countless hours to volunteer leadership, mentorship, and public service. She has served as President of the American Society for Legal History, becoming the first non-American scholar to hold the position. She co-founded the Feminist History Society in 2009, an organization committed to documenting and preserving the history of Canadian feminism. She also chaired the Royal Society of Canada’s Committee on Equity and Diversity and led Dalhousie University’s Task Force on Sexism in the Faculty of Dentistry following highly publicized incidents of gender discrimination.
Her commitment to justice extends far beyond the classroom and scholarly research. Dr. Backhouse has served as an adjudicator and claims assessor for some of Canada’s most significant human rights and abuse settlements, including the Grandview Training School for Girls settlement, the Indian Residential Schools settlement, and the Canadian Armed Forces sexual misconduct settlement. Through this work, she helped provide fairness, dignity, and compassion to survivors seeking recognition and accountability. She also chaired an inquiry into allegations of racial discrimination involving Dr. Kin-Yip Chun and the University of Toronto, further demonstrating her commitment to equity and human rights.
As a mentor and role model, Dr. Backhouse has inspired generations of women and girls to pursue careers in law, academia, public service, and advocacy. Her dedication to teaching excellence has earned her multiple awards from the University of Ottawa, while her broader contributions to Canadian society have been recognized through some of the nation’s highest honours. She is a recipient of the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, the King Charles III Coronation Medal, the Governor General’s Persons Medal, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Killam Prize, the Molson Prize in Social Sciences, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Gold Medal, among many others. She has also received five honorary doctorates in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to scholarship, education, and public life.
Dr. Constance Backhouse’s remarkable career reflects a profound commitment to advancing equality, preserving history, challenging injustice, and empowering others. Through her scholarship, volunteerism, advocacy, and mentorship, she has helped shape a more inclusive and equitable Canada and continues to serve as an enduring inspiration to the Ottawa community and internationally.
