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Congratulations to 2014 Foundation scholar Wendell Adjetey, whose doctoral dissertation, “From the North Star to the Black Star: African North Americans and the Search for a Land of Promise, 1919-1984” has received no less than four awards. In addition to receiving Yale University’s Willard Brittain, Jr. Leadership Award, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences bestowed three honors on Adjetey’s dissertation: the Sylvia Ardyn Boone Prize for African American history, the Edwin W. Small Prize for “outstanding” contribution to U.S. history, and the Canadian Studies Prize. Congratulations, Wendell!

What are the challenges of legal research in the 21st century? To answer this question, the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law organized the first Autumn School on the Methodology of Research in Law. Three members of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation community contributed to the discussion. As a professor and vice-dean of research and communications at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law, 2004 Foundation scholar Margarida Garcia emphasized the significance of critical outlooks as well as scientific methods, while raising the controversial question of normativity. Professor and 2003 Foundation scholar Sophie Thériault spoke to the lack of reflexivity in the 21st century's hyperactive academic world. Finally, 2017 Foundation scholar Sophie de Saussure asserted how important the researcher’s role and place in society was, and how it should be included at the heart of contemporary legal research.

Watch the video-summary of the first Autumn School on the Methodology of Research in Law for an overview of the discussions that unfolded during the event.

Congratulations to 2011 Foundation scholar Laure Waridel, who joined forces with class action firm Trudel Johnston & Lespérance on 14 June 2018. As special advisor in social justice and environmental matters, Laure will contribute her expertise and experiences to making Canada a fairer and more environmentally sustainable society. Waridel’s decision to join the firm was motivated by Trudel Johnston & Lespérance’s strong leadership in public interest cases on a pro bono basis and its citizen-oriented business model. All our best to Laure!

Montréal, QC, 21 June 2018 – The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation is proud to present the 2018 recipients of its unique doctoral scholarship in the social sciences and humanities. From British Columbia to Quebec, reaching to the United States and the United Kingdom, the fifteen newly-appointed scholars are exceptional students who have distinguished themselves through academic excellence and civic engagement. Focusing on important questions for Canada and the world, they are researching areas as diverse as literature, environmental sciences, urban planning, archeology, public health, communications, public health, education, political science, and law. The cohort joins a multidisciplinary network of over 400 researchers, outstanding intellectuals, and seasoned decision-makers committed to applying their knowledge and skills to pressing Canadian and global issues.

Montreal, 26 June 2018 – The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation is proud to announce the 2018 recipients of its annual research fellowships. Every year, the Foundation awards up to five fellowships to intellectuals in the humanities and social sciences who are recognized for their productivity, their commitment to communicating their findings to the public, and their ability to devise innovative solutions to some of the major issues facing Canada and the world.

On 7 June 2018, 2018 Foundation scholar Billy-Ray Belcourt received the $65,000 Griffin Poetry Prize for his debut collection of poems, This Wound is a World, becoming the youngest winner in the prize’s history. Blending the codes of love song, elegy, prayer, and manifesto, Billy-Ray’s poetry evokes the intimacy and violence of Indigenous embodied experiences in Canada. In its citation, the Griffin Trust judging panel praised the collection of poems as a “politically necessary” meditation on queerness, Indigeneity, rebellion, and survival. Congratulations, Billy-Ray!

Learn about the Griffin Poetry Prize and read an excerpt of Billy’s collection of poems here. Order This Wound is a World in paperback here.

Pascale Fournier possesses all of the attributes and qualities to lead the Foundation in the pursuit of its mission, which is to support research in the humanities and social sciences. A lawyer by trade and full professor, she has taught Rights and Freedoms, Comparative Family Law and Critical Approaches to Law at the University of Ottawa, and was the Research Chair on Legal Pluralism and Comparative Law. Demonstrating a great sense of openness to the world, Pascale Fournier has taught from Haiti to Costa Rica to Iran. In 2008, she also served as an expert consultant to the United Nations Development Program on the issue of the right to equality of Muslim women in Tunisia, Egypt, Malaysia and Nigeria. Her work has focused on the rights of families and women in precarious situations, particularly in cultural and religious contexts.

On July 12, 2018, Alain-G. Gagnon, 2010 Foundation fellow, received the insignia of the Ordre de la Pléiade (French only) from the President of the National Assembly of Quebec and President of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie, Jacques Chagnon.

The Ordre de la Pléiade recognizes people who particularly distinguish themselves in the promotion of democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and allow for the prospering of the French language and cultural diversity around the world.

Congratulations!

In his masterpiece The Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison wrote: "I am an invisible man. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.” The theme of invisibility, of flesh and bone, language ​​and knowledge, inhabits us all. From art and theatre, to professional opportunities, social advancement and equity, the common denominator of the contemporary public debate is legitimate visibility. It is for the better that we see the people and cultures that our predominant practices exclude, to better respond to the desire for justice for visible minorities and the promise of reconciliation that has been clearly expressed, and repeated, for our First Nations.

The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation officially began the Future Forums in Edmonton. It is the start of a series of consultations in every province and territory. The goal is to get feedback from a broad swath of Canadians – from Foundation community members to industry, to Indigenous communities, industry and activist groups. The feedback the Foundation gets will help innovate its mission supporting scholarly pursuits in key areas including human rights, the environment, and Canada’s place in the world.

The themes discussed at the ground-breaking Future Forums session at the University of Alberta were Inclusive Excellence and Engaged Leadership. Participants examined and discussed questions such as why some people have traditionally been excluded from leadership and the decision-making process.

Dr. Kisha Supernant is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alberta, and participated in the discussion. She said the Foundation is in a position to set itself apart from other scholarship-granting institutions.

“Maybe the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation can play a different role … to promote an environment where inclusive excellence is possible,” Dr. Supernant said.

Participants in the discussions raised many points regarding Inclusive Excellence and Engaged Leadership, and the challenges associated with achieving both. Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation 2018 Scholar William Schultz spoke on behalf of his group and noted inclusion means ensuring a diverse array of voices get heard when ideas are being shared.

“The person on the stage should not be the same person who appears on TV,” Shultz said.

Foundation President Pascale Fournier expressed thanks to the participants, and said their contribution of ideas will “help make the Foundation more forward-looking, more modern, and more effective at fostering communities that are inclusive, open-minded and diverse.”