The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse honours 40 human rights defenders
201512.17
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The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse honours 40 human rights defenders

Professor Pascale Fournier, member of the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse, had the pleasure to take part in the ceremony organized to mark the 40th anniversary of the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. The ceremony took place in Montreal on December 10th, International Human Rights Day. It was a unique opportunity to recognize the exceptional contribution of 40 women and men, who defend and promote human rights and youth rights. The 40 award recipients distinguish themselves through the the diversity of their respective fields and actions, their many achievements and their outstanding commitment over time. “We wish to congratulate the 40 award recipients. We are proud to pay tribute to these individuals who, every day, take action to protect the principles set out in the Charter,” said Jacques Frémont, president of the Commission. The careers and achievements of the 40 award recipients selected by an independent jury are featured on a special website under the theme “Une Charte, mille combats” (One Charter, a Thousand Struggles): 40ansdelacharte.org . The 40 individuals were chosen among more than 100 of their peers following a call for nominations across Québec. Louise Arbour, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and a leading figure in international law, chaired the independent jury. “I encourage everyone to discover the engaging stories behind these 40 award recipients and see for themselves that you don’t have to be a lawyer or a scholar to know and defend your rights. We hope everyone will join us to celebrate the Charter’s 40th anniversary,” said Mr. Frémont.


Award recipients  – 40the anniversary of the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms:

laureats-am

Laureats-am-souhaits

  • Catherine Audrain, former executive director, La Traversée (Saint-Lambert)
  • Rivka Augenfeld, co-founder, Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (Montréal)
  • Pierre Blain, executive director, Regroupement provincial des comités des usagers (Montréal)
  • Haroun Bouazzi, co-president, Association des Musulmans et des Arabes pour la Laïcité au Québec (Montréal)
  • Louise Brissette, a single woman who adopted over 40 children and adults with disabilities (St-Anselme-de-Bellechasse)
  • Lise Brouard, mental health human rights activist (Saint-Hyacinthe)
  • Denise Brouillard, coordinator, Droits et Recours Laurentides (Saint-Jérôme)
  • Claudette Carbonneau, former president, Confédération des syndicats nationaux-CSN (Montréal)
  • Édith Cloutier, executive director, Val d’Or Native Friendship Centre
  • Marc-Antoine Cloutier, lawyer and co-founder, clinique sociojuridique Juripop (Saint-Constant)
  • Claude Cousineau, lawyer specializing in the defense of people on social assistance (McMasterville)
  • André Davignon, volunteer president and CEO, Observatory on Aging and Society (Montréal)
  • Michelle Dawson, autistic, self-taught autism researcher affiliated with Pervasive development disorder centre for excellence(Université de Montréal)
  • Michel De Césaré, compliance officer, Canadian Human Rights Commission, and board chair, Kéroul (Montréal)
  • Lorraine Doucet, clinical advisor, teacher and expert on the integration of children with disabilities in schools (Montréal)
  • Sylvain Fortin, founding president, Société québécoise de la Trisomie-21  Organisme national (Deux-Montagnes)
  • Sylvie Fortin, nurse and researcher, CHU Sainte-Justine (Montréal)
  • Linda Gauthier, activist and president, Regroupement des activistes pour l’inclusion au Québec (Montréal)
  • Mona Greenbaum, co-founder and executive director, LGBT Family Coalition (Montréal)
  • Minnie Grey, executive director, Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (Kuujjuaq)
  • Julius Grey, lawyer specializing in human rights (Montréal)
  • Ensaf Haidar, wife of Raif Badawi who is currently in prison in Saudi Arabia (Sherbrooke)
  • Élaine Hémond, co-founder, Groupe Femmes, Politique et Démocratie (Québec)
  • Patricia Jean, executive director, Arc-en-ciel d’Afrique (Montréal)
  • Micheline Labelle, associate professor, Université du Québec à Montréal, and founder, Observatoire sur le racisme et les discriminations (Montréal)
  • Véronique Laflamme, community organizer, Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (Montréal)
  • Widia Larivière, youth coordinator, Quebec Native Women and co-founder of Idle No More-Québec (Montréal)
  • Mélanie Lemay, student and board member of the Centre d’aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel-Estrie (Sherbrooke)
  • Raoul Lincourt, co-founder and volunteer, Centre de services de justice réparatrice (Mascouche)
  • Matamba Harusha Henry Mbatika, project manager, Fédération des communautés culturelles de l’Estrie (Sherbrooke)
  • Melissa Mollen Dupuis, community worker and co-founder of Idle No More-Québec (Montréal)
  • Menka Nagrani, founder and manager, Les Productions des pieds des mains (Montréal)
  • Robert Pilon, past president, Groupe de Recherche et d’Intervention Sociale – GRIS (Montréal)
  • Michèle Rivet, first president of the Human Rights Tribunal (Montréal)
  • Tamara Thermitus, lawyer, federal Ministry of Justice (Montréal)
  • Marie-Thérèse Toutant, speaker and caregiver on mental health issues (Ste-Julie)
  • Béatrice Vaugrante, executive director, Amnistie Internationale-section Canada francophone (Montréal)
  • Lucille Veilleux, funding and partnership development coordinator, Wapikoni (Montréal)
  • Raymond Viger, manager, Le Journal de la rue (Montréal)
  • Nadine Vollant, social services coordinator, Uashat mak Mani-Utenam (Sept-Îles)