Jacob Finkelman (January 17, 1907December 21, 2003) was a Canadian legal scholar and jurist. He was an authority on

Canadian labour law Canadian labour law is that body of law which regulates the rights, restrictions, and obligations of trade unions, workers, and employers in Canada. Regulatory framework The federal, provincial, and territorial governments all regulate labour and ...

Early life and education

Jacob Finkelman was born in Poltava on January 17, 1907. He came to Canada with his parents eight months after he was born and settled in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...

. He received a BA in 1926, an MA in 1932, and an LLB in 1933, all from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

Career

Finkelman became a lecturer at the

University of Toronto Faculty of Law The University of Toronto Faculty of Law (U of T Law, UToronto Law) is the law school of the University of Toronto. The Faculty's admissions process is the most selective of law schools in Canada and is one of the most selective in North America. ...

in 1930. William Paul McClure Kennedy, then dean of the faculty, spoke in favour of the appointment to

Robert Falconer Sir Robert Alexander Falconer (10 February 1867 – 4 November 1943) was a Canadian academic and bible scholar. Life He was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, the eldest child of a Presbyterian minister and his wife. He attende ...

, the university's president. When he was named an assistant professor in 1934, Finkelman was the first

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

to become a full-time professor at the university. He was an assistant professor at the faculty from 1934 to 1939, an associate professor from 1939 to 1944, and a full professor from 1944 to 1954. Finkelman presided over his first labour arbitration in 1937, when he was asked by a garment union to adjudicate a dispute. In 1944, Finkelman was named the first chair of the

Ontario Labour Relations Board The Ontario Labour Relations Board is an adjudicative agency of the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development and was established by the Ontario government in 1948. It defines itself as "an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal mandated t ...

. He chaired the board until 1947, and then again from 1953 to 1967. In 1967, Prime Minister

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian scholar, statesman, diplomat, and politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. Born in Newtonbrook, Ontario (now part of ...

named Finkelman the first chair of the Public Service Staff Relations Board (now the

Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board The Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (FPSLREB; , LCRTESPF) is an independent quasi-judicial tribunal that administers the collective bargaining and "grievance adjudication systems" in Canada's federal public service and ...

), a federal tribunal. Finkelman was named a King's Counsel in 1946. He was appointed an officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

in 1976 and received an honorary LLD from

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

in 1977.

Death

Finklelman died on December 21, 2003, in Ottawa.

Notes

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Finkelman, Jacob 1907 births 2003 deaths Canadian legal scholars Canadian King's Counsel University of Toronto alumni Academic staff of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law Officers of the Order of Canada People from Poltava Ukrainian emigrants to Canada