A member of the Faculty since 2000, Vice-Dean Gilbert has built a remarkable career at the intersection of advocacy, scholarship, and education. Her research on equality rights, reproductive justice, medical assistance in dying (MAID), sexual violence, and safe sport has shaped national conversations around law and ethics in Canada. Beyond campus, she serves as Vice-Chair of Dying with Dignity Canada and Fòs Feminista Canada, a global feminist alliance for reproductive justice, where she works directly with communities facing legal and systemic barriers.
Gilbert uses this experience to bring the voices of those directly affected by legal systems into her classroom, which helps students connect the law’s theory to its real human impact.
She is currently on the legal team for two challenges about discriminatory barriers to MAID. "I bring in the lived stories of the people that I'm working with [to the classroom] and it really brings it home to the students,” she explains. “It’s not just about the case law. Students can hear about people who are experiencing discrimination. Real people — not just names in a judgment.”
Social justice – removing barriers and creating opportunities
The thing Gilbert most values about working at the uOttawa Faculty of Law is its commitment to social justice.
“Our Faculty has shown time and time again a real, on-the-ground commitment to justice. It’s what sets us apart,” she says. “It’s encouraging to know that our students are given the tools to make change; that we've given them some grounding in social justice and that they leave here excited to put that in motion.”
She sees her role as Vice-Dean as a continuation of that legacy — nurturing a law school community that equips students to make meaningful change in whatever field they pursue. “I want students to leave here feeling inspired,” she says. “Inspired to use their education to shape the kind of world they want to live in.”
Gilbert’s focus extends beyond removing barriers; she also sees the urgency to create opportunities for disadvantaged and deserving communities.
“Preventing discrimination is one thing,” she explains, “but enabling people to actively and equally participate is another. The biggest source of inequality is often economic inequality.”
She sees combining entrepreneurial skills with social justice as the solution. “Giving [our graduates] the skills to be able to make money... in a way that is mindful of social justice goals so that the goal isn't to become a billionaire, but instead to be a philanthropist, we can reinforce social justice goals as well as giving people the means to support their families and their communities. That's a big leap that we need to make in society.”
Teaching with heart
After obtaining an LLB from the University of Manitoba and an LLM from Yale University as a Fulbright and SSHRC scholar, Gilbert clerked for Chief Justice Antonio Lamer at the Supreme Court of Canada and Mr. Justice Joseph Robertson at the Federal Court of Appeal.
Now, inside the classroom, Gilbert’s teaching style reflects the same blend of realism and optimism that defines her leadership. Her courses on criminal and constitutional law, sexual assault, and MAID encourage students to grapple with difficult questions and to think critically about ethics, empathy, and fairness.
“Students come in [to class] with a sense of urgency,” she says. “They know people who have been sexually assaulted, who have faced discrimination, who are navigating the healthcare system. They bring those experiences with them, and they want to know how to make things better.”
She sees that energy as a source of hope. “They’re the future lawyers and judges — they actually have a lot of ownership. They want to know how to approach a trauma-informed cross-examination or how to balance fair trial rights with a complainant’s dignity. They’re not waiting for someone else to fix the system; they’re learning how to do it themselves.”
Connection, hope and joy
Despite the weighty topics she teaches, Gilbert’s outlook is grounded in hope and joy.
“I hope our students leave with a pack, a group they can rely on,” she says with a smile. “You don’t get through this place happy if you don’t have people who can make you laugh.”
Her advice to students is simple but heartfelt: take the courses that excite you. “Don’t worry about whether a firm will like what’s on your transcript,” she says. “Take the classes that make you happy to be here. That’s where you’ll find your passion — and your people.”
For Gilbert, those friendships and shared moments of laughter are not just about surviving law school, but about shaping the kind of lawyer, and human being, each student will become.
“Law school should inspire you to imagine the impact you can make,” she says. “And it should give you the confidence to begin.”