Confederation to World War I: A History of Law in Canada

In this podcast episode, Nicole O’Byrne speaks to Jim Phillips about A History of Law in Canada, Volume Two: Law for a New Dominion, 1867–1914, a book he co-authored with Philip Gerrard and Blake Brown. This is the second volume in an ambitious three-volume series on the history of law in Canada. He explores the history of law in Canada through the period spanning from Confederation to the start of World War I, using guiding themes such as property rights, criminal law, labour and employment, women and minority rights, Indigenous-State relations, federalism, and the building of the nation and its legal systems. Jim Phillips is one of Canada's most respected and influential legal historians. He is a Professor at the University of Toronto's Law Faculty History Department and Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies. He previously served as a law clerk to Madame Justice Bertha Wilson at the Supreme Court of Canada. Phillips teaches and has written about property and trust law as well as Canadian legal history. Among his other numerous works, he has co-edited four volumes in the Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History series of essays on the history of Canadian law. This podcast was produced by Jessica Schmidt. If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.