22 Facts About Louise Arbour

Louise Arbour was born in Montreal, Quebec to Bernard and Rose Arbour, the owners of a hotel chain.

Louise Arbour attended convent school, during which time her parents divorced.

Louise Arbour was called to the Bar of Quebec in 1971 and to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1977.

Louise Arbour has three adult children: Emilie, Patrick and Catherine.

Louise Arbour's son-in-law is noted Ottawa criminal lawyer Michael Spratt, who was named one of Canadas top 25 most influential lawyers in 2020 and is a partner at the Ottawa criminal law firm AGP LLP.

Louise Arbour is a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy and of the International Commission Against the Death Penalty.

Louise Arbour then taught at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, first as a Lecturer, then as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and finally as Associate Professor and Associate Dean.

Louise Arbour was Vice-President of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association until her appointment to the Supreme Court of Ontario in 1987 and to the Court of Appeal for Ontario in 1990.

In 1995, Louise Arbour was appointed as President of a Commission of Inquiry, under the Inquiries Act, for the purpose of investigating and reporting on events at the Prison for Women in Kingston, Ontario, following allegations by prisoners of abuse.

In 1996, at Richard Goldstone's recommendation, Louise Arbour was appointed as his replacement as Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, and of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

Louise Arbour indicted then-Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes, the first time a serving head of State was called to account before an international court.

In 2004, Louise Arbour retired from the Supreme Court of Canada, having served for just under five years.

Louise Arbour criticized a number of countries for their human rights records.

Louise Arbour has been published in the area of criminal procedure and criminal law, in both French and English.

In 2005, Arbour was awarded the Thomas J Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights, along with Justice Richard Goldstone, in recognition of her work on the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

Louise Arbour was the subject of a 2005 fact-based Canadian-German made-for-television movie, Hunt for Justice, which follows her quest to indict Bosnian Serb war criminals.

Louise Arbour was made a Companion to the Order of Canada in 2007 "for her contributions to the Canadian justice system and for her dedication to the advancement of human rights throughout the world".

Louise Arbour was made a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec in 2009.

Louise Arbour was made a Commander of the National Order of the Legion of Honour in 2011.

Louise Arbour has been awarded numerous honorary degrees, including Doctor of Civil Laws from the University of Western Ontario in June 2000, Doctor of Humane Letters from Mount Saint Vincent University in May 2001, and Doctor of Laws degrees from the University of British Columbia in November 2001, the University of Waterloo in October 2006, in June 2009 from the University of Alberta and University of Guelph, and from Simon Fraser University in October 2009.

Louise Arbour is currently a member of the Whitney R Harris World Law Institute's International Council.

In January 2023, Louise Arbour was awarded the 2023 Sandra Day O'Connor Justice Prize from Arizona State University, a lifetime achievement award for human rights work as well as upholding the rule of law and judicial independence.