Shauna Van Praagh (LLB 1989) appointed President of the Law Commission of Canada

Professor Shauna Van Praagh and the Hon. Frank Iacobucci (photo courtesy of UTP)

On Feb. 22, the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, announced the appointment of University of Toronto Faculty of Law alumna Shauna Van Praagh (LLB 1989), a professor at McGill University's Faculty of Law, as the President of the revived Law Commission of Canada, as well as Sarah Elgazzar and Aidan Edward Johnson as Commissioners. The Commissioners will hold office for a term of four years, with the President holding office for five years, all effective June 6.

Van Praagh is the also the author of Building Justice: Frank Iacobucci and the Life Cycles of Law (University of Toronto Press 2021). She took part in a special conversation with Dean Emeritus, the Hon. Frank Iacobucci, this past fall. 

The Law Commission of Canada is an independent body that provides non-partisan advice to the federal government on matters relating to the improvement, modernization and reform of Canadian laws. First established as the Law Reform Commission of Canada in 1971 and re-established as the Law Commission of Canada in 1997, the Commission will once again be tasked with reviewing our country’s laws.

The Commission will support the Government of Canada’s efforts toward a more inclusive, representative and accessible justice system – one that respects the rights of marginalized people and protects vulnerable communities. The Commission will develop new approaches to the law to address systemic racism in legislation and the legal system and support reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Other important priorities like access to justice, legal issues around climate change and rapid technological shifts may also be considered.