Social Justice Leader

Howard PawleyHoward Pawley

The Faculty of Law community mourns the passing of Howard Pawley, former premier of Manitoba and professor of law at the University of Windsor.

Pawley died at home in Windsor on December 30 at the age of 81. Tributes to his work in social justice and the enormous contributions he made to public life poured in from friends at home and across the country. 

Brampton-born Pawley served as premier of Manitoba from 1981 to 1988 and was the MLA for Selkirk, Manitoba for nearly two decades. Premier Greg Selinger spoke of the impact Pawley had in Manitoba. "Throughout his life, Howard fought for equality, social justice, and the rights of all peoples. His leadership and progressive values led to changes to Manitoba's labour code to ensure that workers are paid fairly, regardless of their gender, and the inclusion of sexual orientation to Manitoba's Human Rights Code. He was also the minister responsible for the creation of Manitoba Public Insurance in 1971, which continues to provide the lowest auto insurance rates in the country. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. Manitoba lost a true champion of social justice today." 

After his political career, Pawley joined academia and took on leadership roles within the University of Windsor Faculty Association and CAUT. He was the founding president of the Harry Crowe Foundation, a charitable organization established by CAUT in 2002 to carry out education and research on academic freedom.