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Congratulations to Schulich Law graduate Elizabeth Fleet (JD ’26), who was named a recipient of the 2026 Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella Prize by the Royal Society of Canada on Tuesday, September 15.

The $1,000 prize was established in honour of Justice Abella's visionary intellectual contributions to Canadian law and her lifelong commitment to building equity and equality across the country and beyond. It is given to a graduating student from each Canadian law school whose leadership and advocacy demonstrate exceptional promise for advancing social justice and positively influencing equity.

“I am grateful to all my professors and mentors at Weldon. I am humbled – and a bit emotional – to receive an award that shares Justice Abella's name and to be included among such an inspiring cohort of my peers," shares Fleet.

Her deep passion for the intersections of gender, consent, and the law is reflected throughout her extensive community involvement and advocacy work. At Weldon, she took part in the Criminal Clinic, the Dalhousie Student Advocacy Service, and a youth legal education project through Pro Bono Dalhousie. Among her most significant contributions was the creation and leadership of "It's Not Okay," an initiative aimed at strengthening on-campus consent education, where she sought to foster a deeper understanding of informed consent to help build a culture of respect and accountability.

"My time at Schulich Law played a key role in shaping my view of what it means to be an advocate and fostered my passion for the law of sexual offences and the issue of consent more generally,” she says.  

“In particular, I think of my Law of Sexual Offences course taught by Alicia Kennedy, my placement with the Halifax Public Prosecution Service where I saw advocacy for sexual assault complainants firsthand, and my work to improve consent education on campus. These experiences all demonstrated the challenging nature of this work, but also how rewarding and needed it is.”

Fleet also distinguished herself academically, earning Dean’s List honours and receiving multiple awards for highest grades, outstanding coursework, and scholarly writing. She was a contributor to the Weldon Times and, in her third year, was selected by Dean Sarah Harding (LLB '89) for an editorial assistantship with the Dalhousie Law Journal.

“Liz is very deserving of this prize, and it was a privilege to nominate her,” says Harding. “In addition to her overall academic performance and her strong writing on issues of gender violence, she has generously given so much of her time and herself to our community.”

Now a clerk at the Federal Court, Fleet hopes to pursue a career advocating for better legal protection for sexual assault victims. 

To learn more about the other outstanding Royal Society of Canada award winners, you can visit their website.