Louise Arbour challenges graduates to change the world Special

Louise Arbour received an honourary Doctor of Laws on June 10th from the University of Guelph. Addressing the hundreds of students, families and guests, she challenged the graduating student body to never forget the privilege they experience as Canadians.

Guelph, ON - When I arranged to meet Louise Arbour after the graduation ceremony at the University of Guelph, I had expected a giant of a woman. After all, Madame Arbour is one of the most formidable women on the planet, a force to be reckoned with. But instead of a giant, I met a petite woman who is gracious, self-effacing, and respectful towards others. Dr. Arbour is perhaps more famously known for her work as the United Nation's High Commission for Human Rights and her role as the Chief Prosecutor for the United Nation's International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Boutros Boutros-Ghali had announced the appointment of Madame Arbour as Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal in 1996. Her work included investigating war crimes in the former Yugoslavia, the former Kosovo, and Rwanda. A made for tv-movie Hunt for Justice was made in 2005 about Madame Arbour's work as Prosecutor for the United Nations Criminal Tribunal in Bosnia. Madame Arbour was awarded the Thomas J. Dodd prize in International Justice and Human Rights for her work on the Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Madame Arbour is one of those people who speaks the truth. However, she told me that she can never just speak her mind, she always has to be mindful of the position she is holding at the time. That said, Madame Arbour could be described as 'outspoken,' particularly because when she speaks what she sees as being the truth, people describe her as "controversial." She does not have the sort of personality that would allow her to bow to the status quo of how things are done in the world, particularly when the lives of people are at stake. For example, in 2006, Madame Arbour spoke up about the need to protect the people caught in the fight in Israel:

"International law demands accountability," she said. "The scale of the killings in the region, and their predictability, could engage the personal criminal responsibility of those involved, particularly those in a position of command and control."

This comment was construed to be "anti-Israel" by some people at the time. In 1999, Madame Arbour was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, taking her seat there in September. In 2004, Madame Arbour began her role as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, where she generated more buzz about things she said. Notably, she condemned the war in Iraq, which garnered her the anger of John Bolton who was the United State's Ambassador to the UN at the time. Earlier in her career, Madame Arbour was the first woman nominated to the Ontario Court of Appeal. While she served on the Supreme Court of Ontario (1987 to 1994), she made two key decisions: she allowed prisoners to have voting rights, and she ordered an Ontario school board to educate a disabled child in a regular classroom. In 1995 she was appointed the head of a Commission of Inquiry into Kingston's Prison for Women, investigating allegations of abuse of inmates. The inquiry uncovered conditions that were so bad, the facility was closed and the head of the Correctional Service of Canada resigned.

Stephanie Dearing

Picture showing Louise Arbour about to receive an honorary degree from the University of Guelph.

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When Dr. Arbour addressed today's graduating students, she reminded them that they are some of the most privileged people in the world, enjoying things that are not a given for millions of people in the world. We are very lucky to have freedom of speech, intact families, good homes to live in, food to eat, and most importantly, are able to pursue education. Madame Arbour said that because our collective outlook has been based on fear since 9/11, she feels that we are developing a "seige" mentality. We are perpetually at war, she said. We wage war on drugs and on terror. But we don't wage war on poverty, and Madame Arbour strongly feels that poverty is the most devastating condition to befall humans. The huge income disparities, both in Canada and the world serve to reinforce inequality. She told the graduands that they should think of their degrees as being a "mortgage on your conscience." She wrapped up her address to the graduating body of students by calling on them to be of service. "Try to put something back into the world that has dealt us a pretty favourable hand," she instructed.

Stephanie Dearing

Waiting for the processional to begin at convocation, University of Guelph.

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Born in 1947 in Montreal, Louise Arbour now holds honourary degrees from over 30 universities. She has been serving on the Board of the International Crisis Group, as well as that of Human Rights Watch. She was awarded a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2007. She is also an honourary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Madame Arbour studied law at the University of Montreal. She was called to the bar in 1971. She was called to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1977. Next month, Louise Arbour will take up her new position as President and CEO of the International Crisis Group. Ever humble, Madame Arbour told me that she will be joining an excellent group which has been doing fine work for many years, and she felt she would do well just to try to keep up with the people who make up the International Crisis Group. Her only regret in life is that she is just only one person and thus is limited in the work that she can do. One gets the impression that Madame Arbour would be happy to clone herself several times over in order that she might be able to do more work. Madame Arbour has been dedicated to human rights since at least the early 1970s.

Stephanie Dearing

Dr. Louise Arbour

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