Mayo Moran named U of T’s inaugural Irving and Rosalie Abella Chair in Justice and Equality
Jan 16, 2025
Photo by Stuart Payne.
Mayo Moran, a leader in advancing justice and equality at local and global levels, has been named the inauguralIrving and Rosalie Abella Chair in Justice and Equality at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law. Moran, an expert in private and public law, has chaired committees and legislative reviews of profound national importance and advanced changes to the law.
“In addition to her leadership as a university citizen, Mayo’s contributions in the areas of justice and equality are truly remarkable. Her unwavering commitment and leadership on these issues have shaped our institutions, laws and society for the better,” said University Professor and Dean Jutta Brunnée, James Marshall Tory Dean’s Chair. “The Irving and Rosalie Abella Chair in Justice and Equality will enable her to continue her impactful work.”
A legacy of impacting change at the university
At U of T, Moran became the first female dean of the law faculty from 2006 to 2014. Following her role as dean, Moran was appointed the 15th provost and vice-chancellor of Trinity College at U of T. While in that role, Moran chaired the university’s Expert Panel on Sexual Violence Policies and Procedures. The panel’s report formed the basis for the creation of U of T’s Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment and the establishment of the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre.
Mayo’s contributions in the areas of justice and equality are truly remarkable. The Irving and Rosalie Abella Chair in Justice and Equality will enable her to continue her impactful work.
In collaboration with former U of T vice-president & provost, Cheryl Regehr, and other leaders at the university, Moran played a role in the development of Bill 132, the Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act(Supporting Survivors and Challenging Sexual Violence and Harassment) and, as one representative of the higher education sector, helped shape the legislation. This bill is now law.
Mayo’s contributions in the areas of justice and equality are truly remarkable. The Irving and Rosalie Abella Chair in Justice and Equality will enable her to continue her impactful work.
Enabling justice for residential school survivors
Moran also played an important role in the residential schools process, serving as as chair of the Residential Schools Oversight Committee, part of the nearly $6B Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement led by former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Phil Fontaine, and dean emeritus of U of T’s Faculty of Law, Frank Iacobucci. Moran chaired the oversight committee, seeing to the resolution of more than 38,000 abuse claims by residential school survivors and awarding over $3B in individual compensation.
“Although there is so much more that needs to be done, no country has undertaken a reparation process as ambitious as what Canada began with the Settlement Agreement,” reflects Moran on 14 years she oversaw the tribunal process. “Without it, we wouldn’t have had Truth and Reconciliation Commission which triggered so many other important things that continue to unfold.”
Redressing historic injustice
Moran’s recent academic and policy work focuses on the role of law in redressing historic injustice, especially issues involving systemic and institutional abuse such as residential schools, eugenics and colonial violence. She is the co-founder of the Restitution Dialogues which addresses contemporary debates concerning the restitution of cultural belongings, such as those seized during the Holocaust and Indigenous belongings held in the Vatican Archives. Her work in this area includes advising the German government on how to improve its Holocaust restitution process. Her forthcoming book, The Problem of the Past and How to Fix It, brings together her strands of work on redressing historic wrongs.
“A lot of massive historical wrongs lay dormant for a very long time. The attitude used to be that ‘time heals all wounds,’ or ‘let sleeping dogs lie,’” says Moran.
It’s incredibly meaningful and touching to hold the chair, named in their honour. For me, there could not be a better way to come back to the faculty that I love and to be what I call a ‘normal professor’ again.
“I think there’s an increasing recognition now that if there is not an effort to make amends, old injuries may actually fester and grow, rather than heal. An important part of doing justice is paying attention to how to repair the harm caused by our wrongs, even if those wrongs occurred a long time ago. That is why there are now very active debates about how to repair and make amends for old wrongs, including injuries to the person like abuse, as well as wrongful takings,” she says. “We can never fully fix the past but we can learn from what has gone before and do better each time.”
It’s incredibly meaningful and touching to hold the chair, named in their honour. For me, there could not be a better way to come back to the faculty that I love and to be what I call a ‘normal professor’ again.
The chair honours Canadian historian Irving Abella (1940-2022) and retired Supreme Court of Canda justice Rosalie Silberman Abella, both U of T alumni.
“I’m a huge admirer of both Rosie and Itchie, as we call them,” Moran says. “It’s incredibly meaningful and touching to hold the chair, named in their honour. For me, there could not be a better way to come back to the faculty that I love and to be what I call a ‘normal professor’ again.”