OTTAWA — The Canadian Foundation for Legal Research is delighted to announce Jonathan Rudin as winner of the 2019 Walter Owen Book Prize for his publication, Indigenous People and the Criminal Justice System: A Practitioner’s Handbook (Toronto: Emond Publishing).
This prestigious award honours its namesake, who was the first President of the Foundation in 1959. In alternate years, the Prize is awarded to English and French books to recognize excellent legal writing and outstanding new contributions to Canadian legal doctrine.
Founder and current Program Director of Aboriginal Legal Services in Toronto, Mr. Rudin was selected from among 35 nominees to receive a $15,000 cash prize for his ground-breaking contribution to Canadian law literature.
The Foundation’s Prize Jury found Rudin’s treatment of the issues relating to Indigenous people in Canada’s criminal justice system to be painstakingly comprehensive, compassionate and exceptionally articulate. The Jury, comprised of current or retired Justices, university faculty and practicing lawyers, anticipates that Rudin’s book will become an essential primary reference for the subject.
rstanding Unconstitutionality: How a Country Lost its Way – An Essay in Three Parts
Michelle C. Awad, Q.C., Chair of The Canadian Foundation for Legal Research, extended her thanks and congratulations to this year’s winners and finalists. “Book Prize winners and finalists have produced works that are invaluable to the entire legal community in Canada. We offer our heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Rudin for developing a pivotal guide for practitioners who work with Canada’s Indigenous population.”
