For Immediate Release
Aug. 11, 2006
ST. JOHN’S, NFLD. – University of Ottawa Prof. Errol Mendes has been named as the recipient of the 2006 Walter S. Tarnopolsky Human Rights Award, recognizing his contributions to domestic and international human rights.
“Prof. Mendes’ sterling work both here in Canada and on the world stage has made him a role model for Canadian legal academics who want to have an impact on human rights protection in the world,” said Ed Ratushny, president of the International Commission of Jurists (Canadian Section). “His career bears several parallels to that of the late Walter Tarnopolsky, and, as such, it’s entirely fitting that he receives this award.”
Mendes, a tenured professor at the U of O, has a long track record in Canadian human rights. He served as the director of the Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC), founded by Tarnopolsky, from 1993 to 2001. In 1995, he was appointed to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal for a two-year term that was renewed in 1997. From 1989 to 1997, he served on the Ontario Human Rights Boards of Inquiry. Mendes has sat on the board of Transparency International Canada since 2004, and has been an advisor to the Auditor-General of Canada on business ethics and human rights since 1996. Mendes was also a constitutional advisor during the drafting of the 1992 Charlottetown Accord. He was a co-founder of the Minority Advocacy and Rights Council of Canada (MARC). Since 1991, Mendes has served as editor-in-chief of The National Journal of Constitutional Law, Canada’s leading constitutional law journal.
At the international level, Mendes has been an adviser to the Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, where he has worked on developing strategies to involve the private sector in promoting the goals of the UN, and the UN Global Compact Principles for business in the area of corporate ethics and social responsibility. In co-operation with HRREC and partners including, among others, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Department of Canadian Heritage, Mendes has been project leader for conflict resolution, governance, and justice projects in China, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, El Salvador, Sri Lanka, and India.
Mendes has taught at a number of universities, including the University of Alberta, the University of Western Ontario, McGill University, the Université de Montréal, and the University of Illinois. He is the author or co-editor of five books, including The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Third Edition (with Sen. Gérald Beaudoin), a landmark text on constitutional law.
Born in Kenya, Mendes received his bachelor of laws degree from the University of Exeter in England, where he ranked first in his graduating class, and his master of laws degree from the University of Illinois. He was called to the bar of Ontario in 1986.
The Walter S. Tarnopolsky Award recognizes a resident of Canada who has made an outstanding contribution to domestic or international human rights. The award is presented at the session of the CBA Canadian Judges Forum, Monday, Aug. 14 in Salon A of the Delta St. John’s Hotel and Convention Centre. Prof. Mendes will address the meeting.
The Hon. Lance Finch, Chief Justice of British Columbia, chaired the 2006 selection committee as the representative for ICJ Canada, and the Hon. Anne Mactavish of the Federal Court Administers the Award on behalf of ICJ Canada.
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CONTACT: Patricia Whiting, International Commission of Jurists, 500-865 Carling Ave., Ottawa, ON, K1S 5S8. Tel: (613) 237-2825 EXT. 125. E-mail: patw@cba.org.
