Iacobucci says the constitutional culture created by the Charter makes the courts guardians of the Constitution and the defender of those marginalized people and groups it was designed to protect.

The lecture is part of the Herb Gray Distinguished Lecture Series, which focuses on Canada’s place in the world and on those issues that define being Canadian. The series is sponsored by the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, and the Department of Political Science. The series marks the University’s recognition of Mr. Gray’s contributions in the area of its social justice research pinnacle.

The Right Honourable Herb Gray has had a long and distinguished political career, serving a record 39 years in the House of Commons, with an unequalled 13 consecutive victories in the same riding. Among other positions, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister in 1997, the first to occupy the position as a full-time Cabinet post. Gray is Chair of the Canadian section of the International Joint Commission – an autonomous international organization dealing with transborder issues of water and air. He has received honorary degrees from a number of institutions, including the University of Windsor and Assumption University. Gray is a Companion of the Order of Canada.

Iacobucci, a former Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada was later Vice-President and acting President of the University of Toronto, as well as Dean of its Faculty of Law. He was Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General of Canada, and Chief Justice of the Federal Court, and was recently named a Companion of the Order of Canada.