News - ICJ Canada | International Commission of Jurists

Announcement: Professor Jennifer Bond is the 2016 Tarnopolsky Award Winner

ICJ Canada is thrilled to announce Professor Jennifer Bond as the winner of the 2016 Tarnopolsky Award. Jennifer Bond is Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa; Special Advisor to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship; Founder and Faculty Director of the University of Ottawa Refugee Hub; and Co-founder and Co-director of the University of Ottawa Refugee Assistance Project. She also helped to create the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program (“SSP”), which has mobilized over 1,300 pro-bono lawyers to assist Canadians across the country seeking to privately sponsor refugees. She has published extensively, is a frequent media commentator, has given numerous presentations at national and international events, and has contributed to litigation, including by appearing in interventions in important refugee cases at the Supreme Court of Canada. She holds a BA and BCom from the University of Calgary, an LLB from the University of Victoria, and an LLM from Yale Law School.

Her nomination was supported by several colleagues who noted Jennifer’s truly outstanding dedication to refugees over the past decade. She has demonstrated exceptional leadership, advocacy, and community building in the face of the migrant crisis, and been a great source of inspiration to many people through her work.

The 2016 Tarnopolsky award was to go to a candidate not yet at the midpoint of his or her career. With her remarkable achievements to date, Jennifer is a highly deserving candidate. We wish her continued success.

Jennifer will be formally given the award at a special event this autumn. Details will be announced at a later date.

ICJC participates in Global Affairs International Assistance Review Consultations

ICJC participated in Global Affairs Canada’s International Assistance Review Consultations, which gave civil society organizations the opportunity to provide input on Canada’s foreign policy priorities. Our concise submission emphasized the importance of the rule of law in foreign assistance activities, both as an end in itself and as a basis for reaching other development goals. As explained, strong legal and institutional frameworks, including fair dispute resolution processes, are the basis for achievements in areas like education, health, and economic growth.

We look forward to learning the outcome of GAC’s consultations, and continuing to be engaged in this area. We are appreciative of Secretary-Treasurer Robin Sully for her work in preparing the submission.

Calgary, October 6: An Evening with Dick Pound

ICJC invites you to an evening with Dick Pound, founding President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) & the man behind the Olympics.

This dinner event will feature a talk by Mr. Pound entitled:

“After Rio… Dealing With Cheating in World Sport: A Global Corruption Challenge.”

The evening will be moderated by the President of the International Commission of Jurists (Canadian Section), Prof. Errol Mendes O.Ont, LSM.

Calling for a Commission of Inquiry into Afghan Detainee Transfers

ICJC Executive Director Janine Lespérance joined 41 prominent Canadians, including former Prime Minister Joe Clark, the former Chair of the Security Intelligence Review Committee Ron Atkey, human rights lawyer (and past winner of the Tarnopolsky Award) Paul Champ, former Ambassador to the United Nations Stephen Lewis, and several other diplomats, academics, and human rights advocates in signing an open letter calling for a Commission of Inquiry into the transfer of hundreds of detainees to Afghan authorities during Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan. Detainees were transferred despite risks of torture, and credible evidence has demonstrated that many transfered detainees were indeed tortured. A public inquiry would help to clarify what happened during this time, and whether Canada flouted its obligations, including those under the UN Convention Against Torture, which Canada ratified in 1987.

Click here to learn more. Click here to read the open letter.

ICJC President Errol Mendes Honoured

Our enormously dedicated President, Errol Mendes, Professor at the University of Ottawa, has received two prestigious awards this year for his outstanding professional accomplishments.

Most recently, on May 25, Professor Mendes was honoured by the Law Society of Upper Canada with its Law Society Medal, for his “extraordinary contribution as an academic, legal advisor, adjudicator and teacher and for his expertise in constitutional law, corporate governance, human rights and diversity issues.” The Law Society Medal is awarded to Ontario lawyers for outstanding service within the profession. Professor Mendes was among 14 lawyers who received the honour this year.

Earlier this year, Professor Mendes received the highest honour of the province of Ontario: the Order of Ontario. He was described as being internationally recognized as one of Canada’s leading experts on human rights law and constitutional democracy. Along with the other noteworthy individuals chosen for the award this year, he was presented with the Order of Ontario insignia by the Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, at an investiture ceremony at Queen’s Park on January 20, 2016.

Congratulations, Errol!

ICJ Canada annual members' meeting

On May 26, 2016, we held our annual members' meeting, an opportunity for all ICJ Canada members to learn more about their organization's activities, to participate in governance decisions, to ask questions of Board members, and to discuss ideas. We had lots of positive news about our plans and activities to share. Would you like to know what we spoke about? Click here to read the meeting minutes.

If you're not already a member of ICJ Canada, we strongly encourage you to join today! Becoming a member is the best way of showing your support and helping our organization to be sustainable and active. We are very appreciative of all our members, who are all part of the Canadian legal profession.