2003 Trudeau Scholar

robert.leckey@trudeaufoundation.net

Profile

Assistant Professor, Law Faculty, McGill University

"Being a Trudeau scholar dramatically enriched my doctoral experience and shaped me as a young researcher and teacher. Lawyers typically work with other lawyers, but through the Foundation I have been exposed to people in political philosophy, geography, political science, and many other disciplines. It has not only changed me as a person but also influenced the research through those encounters. Association with the Foundation allows you to participate in scholarly and public debate as a full-time academic sooner than you otherwise would, and sets a high standard for scholarship and contributions to public discourse. While the Foundation’s financial contributions to my path were extraordinarily generous and enabled me to concentrate my full energies on my research, it is the broadening of my understanding of scholarship and the possibilities of civic engagement that strike me as ultimately most significant."

Equipped with a background in English literature and versed in both of Canada's legal systems (common law and civil law), Robert Leckey strives to view issues from various angles. "My education so far has prepared me for a certain openness," which has found him engaged in discourse on same-sex marriage, polygamy, the relationship between private law and public law, and constitutional language questions.

Robert was initially drawn to law as it provided him an opportunity to combine his literary and academic interests with intervention in public debate. Using feminist political theory to study Canadian family law and administrative law side-by-side, his research has examined how legislatures and judges view the individuals subject to their laws, attempting to see them not as abstract collections of various rights but in the context of family relationships and socio-economic factors.

His research is expected to have far-reaching theoretical and practical results, helping to assure that developments advancing social justice and human dignity are well-grounded. However, inspired by various mentors and teachers, Robert is concerned with the community beyond academia and plans on leading a life of service and community engagement.

Trudeau Foundation Themes

Human Rights and Social Justice »
Responsible Citizenship »
Canada and the World »