Italian Canadians: A Personal and Inspiring Lecture by the Honourable Frank Iacobucci
The first Canadian Italian Judge of the Supreme Court of Canada, Frank Iacobucci inspires perseverance and courage with his personal experiences and success.

As the first Italian-Canadian Judge of the Supreme Court of Canada, the Honourable Frank Iacobucci inspires the University of Toronto (U of T) Mississauga (UTM) community with his example, knowledge and positivity. 

On October 21, at the Grand Hall of the Maanjiwe Nendamowinan building, Iacobucci gave a lecture about Italian immigration to Canada and shared his experience as an Italian Canadian at UTM. 

This lecture is part of an annual series that brings leading experts to broaden perspectives, share knowledge,  and provide opportunities for the UTM community to engage with Italian Culture. It focuses on encouraging students to foster relationships and gain insights on  great leadership. 

This event was supported by a generous donation from the Canadian Italian Development Association (CIDA) to the Department of Language Studies at UTM. 

The lecture started with words from Arsalan Kahnemuyipour, Chair of the Language Studies Department and Professor Teresa Lobalsamo, Associate Chair of the Department. Associate Professor of Italian Studies, Anne Marie Casterelli, an important figure of CIDA, and the Italian Canadian academic community, also gave words to kickstart the event. 

Among the distinguished members of the audience were Principal Alexandra Gillespie, the Vice-President of U of T and Principal of UTM; Professor Emeritus Michael Lettieri, who served as the Founding Chair of the Department of Language Studies at UTM; and Professor Emeritus Salvatore Bancheri, who was Interim Chair of the Department.

Iacobucci’s Lecture 

Iacobucci began by noting that Italians started to migrate to Canada in the early 20th Century. Most of the Italian immigrants were from poor regions in Italy, so they did not have much financial resources or refined skills. On top of that, most Italian immigrants did not speak English when they first arrived in Canada. 

Iacobucci’s parents arrived in Vancouver in the early 1920s from very poor Italian regions at the time – Abruzzo and Calabria. At their arrival, Iacobucci’s parents worked hard to provide for their family in hopes of giving better opportunities to their children. 

Iacobucci noted his appreciation for his parents, saying, “I admire my amazingly strong parents, who were of the first immigrant generation.” Inspired by his parents’ dedication, Iacobucci decided to study hard and apply to law school. 

Iacobucci shared that it was not expected that a child from an Italian immigrant family would succeed in academia or pursue a professional career due to many societal factors. 

Most Italian immigrants would get jobs in construction and excavation. These positions often came with poor wages, dangerous working conditions, and long working hours. On top of that, Italians were mistreated and subjected to discrimination, verbal and physical violence. 

Italians also used to be deemed as dirty, poor, ignorant and associated with crimes. The overpopulation in their neighbourhoods were seen as “dangerous to the public health in Toronto.” These stereotypes and prejudices became stronger when Benito Mussolini took power in Italy and World War II started. The freedom of Italian Canadians was restricted so much that many started to change their last names — for example, a name like Rossini would be changed to Ross.

Moving forward with courage

Iacobucci attended the University of British Columbia in the late 50s to early 60s with the desire to attend law school to support his parents.  Many tried to stop Iacobucci and change his mind for prejudicial reasons. 

He shared an experience with his statistics professor, who told him “You don’t want to be a lawyer, you don’t have the right name.” This instance revealed the strong stereotypes about immigrants not being able to or have the same access as the local students. On the contrary, another professor encouraged Iacobucci to apply for law school, stating that Canada was changing.

Iacobucci’s encouraging professor was right. When Iacobucci was in his undergraduate studies, Canada was about to change with initiatives on multiculturality, diversity and inclusion. Canada was opening up to give rights and opportunities for minority groups like women, immigrants, ethnic and indigenous communities. These initiatives were drafted and proposed during Pierre Trudeau’s administration between the 1970s and 1980s.

Perseverance rewarded with success

Iacobucci obtained his Law degree in 1964 from the University of Cambridge, after which he practiced Corporate Law in New York City from 1964 to 1967. Iacobucci then became an Associate Professor of Law at U of  T’s Faculty of Law – a position he held until 1985. Afterwards, he became Associate Dean and Vice-Dean of the University of Toronto. He was also Vice-President of the board of Italian Canadians, deputy minister and attorney general. In 1999, he became the first Canadian Italian Judge of the Supreme Court of Canada. 

In a dialogue session of the lecture, Casterelli joked about Iacobucci’s career. “He couldn’t keep a job!” she laughed. “I really like to have many activities and give back to the community,” responded Iacobucci.

An inspiration for immigrants 

Iacobucci’s remarkable career set precedents for immigrants regarding what they can achieve with consistent effort and perseverance — especially for international students, who had the courage to start a new life in a foreign country with a different language, environment and culture. He acknowledges the hardships that international students face in personal, academic, and financial aspects, despite UTM’s welcoming community. 

Although these obstacles might make one’s goals seem unreachable, Iacobucci demonstrated that it is possible for international students to succeed and become impactful members of their communities. 

Iacobucci finished the lecture by noting that he feels proud of his career and all the things he has achieved throughout his life at the age of 88. He expressed that he likes to think his efforts contributed to Canada’s openness to and inclusion of immigrants. 

He is especially proud of some initiatives to which he contributed, stating that all minorities should have access to law, protection, recognition, justice, equality. Iacobucci also proclaimed that everyone should take pride in their heritage, roots and language. He added that minorities should feel as secure as all Canadians do, and be proud of being Canadian. 

He stated that the most impactful lesson is what people learn from each other. “How proud [I am] of my Italian heritage and my participation in Italian Canadians making Canada a multicultural and inclusive democracy!”

Students’ afterthoughts 

In a post-lecture interview with students from Italian and Linguistics disciplines, students reflected that they felt inspired and touched by Iacobucci’s experiences and reflection on immigrants’ lives. 

Even though many things have changed since Iacobucci’s family’s arrival in Canada, students felt connected to his struggles in academic and professional life as his speech inspired them to aim high and strive for their ambitions with perseverance.