2011 Rights and Freedoms Prize: Only one month left to submit a nomination
Montréal, June 1, 2011 - The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse is issuing a reminder that July 1st is the deadline to submit a nomination for the 2011 Rights and Freedoms Prize.
“We encourage all individuals and organization who are making a difference in their communities and are committed to the defence of human rights and youth rights to send the nomination form,” said Gaétan Cousineau, president of the Commission.
Mr. Cousineau will chair the jury which also includes François Bugingo, a well-known reporter and former president of Reporters without Borders Canada, as well as Monique Rochon, one the first employees of the Commission who recently retired after 35 years of service.
Since 1988, the Commission has awarded the Rights and Freedoms Prize each year to an organization or an individual as a public recognition for exceptional achievement or commitment to the defence of human rights and freedoms and youth rights. The Prize is traditionally awarded at a ceremony in Montreal to mark the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10.
In order to recognize their long-term commitment to the defence of human rights and youth rights and mark the 35th anniversary of the coming into force of the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, the Commission will pay tribute to all the previous laureates during the 2011 award ceremony which will take place in Montreal on December 8, 2011.
In the past five years, the Commission awarded the Rights and Freedoms Prize to the Tolerance Foundation, the Regroupement des organismes Espace du Québec, the honourable Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré of the Québec Court, Fondation Émergence President Laurent McCutcheon and André Paradis, a well-known human rights activist.
How to submit a candidacy
Individuals or organizations who wish to submit a candidacy must send the completed nomination form along with a CV or an organizational profile, a letter describing the nominees, their work and why they merit the Prize before July 1st, 2011. Nomination forms and additional information are available on the Commission’s website at www.cdpdj.qc.ca.
In line with its commitment to sustainable development, the Commission is urging individuals and organizations to submit nominations either by e-mail, on CD or a memory stick. However, it will continue to accept nominations by mail.
The deadline is Friday, July 1, 2011, 5 p.m. Completed nomination forms along with the required materials can be hand-delivered to the Commission’s headquarters located at:
Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse
Attention: Julie Lajoye
360 Saint-Jacques St., 2nd Floor
Montreal, QC H2Y 1P5
julie.lajoye@cdpdj.qc.ca
For more information, please contact Julie Lajoye at 514 873-5146 or 1 800 361-6477 ext. 230 or at julie.lajoye@cdpdj.qc.ca.
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