In the past month, MIGS organized three panel discussions as part of its Raoul Wallenberg Legacy of Leadership Project. The events took place in Ottawa (30 September), Toronto (14 October) and Montreal (29 October). Visit the Raoul Wallenberg Legacy of Leadership website for more information on the event as well as the speakers. Pictures taken by Tristan Brand are available on the website and on MIGS’ Flickr Page
Credit: Tristan Brand
Credit: Tristan Brand
From 15 to 17 October, Senior Deputy Director Kyle Matthews attended the Stanley Foundation's 55th annual Strategy for Peace Conference in Virginia. Climate change, human protection and nuclear security were this year’s three foreign policy issues being discussed.
On 25 October, Assistant to the Director Marie Lamensch gave a presentation at McGill University’s “Breaking The Silence: Congo Week”, an event organized with Friends of the Congo, designed to raise consciousness about the challenges of the Congo and support Congolese institutions as they strive to bring about peaceful and lasting change. Read more about the organization here: Here.
Kyle Matthews with MP Kirsty Duncan
On 28 October, Marie Lamensch and Kyle Matthews attended a special ceremony on Parliament Hill honouring Irwin Cotler who was awarded the Raoul Wallenberg Centennial Medal by the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation. Marc Garneau presented a statement at the event, which was attended by, amongst others, Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird and Liberal party leader Justin Trudeau. You can view some pictures on our Flickr page.
On 4 November, MIGS in partnership with Médecins Sans Frontières, hosted a panel discussion titled “From the Balkans to Syria: The Dilemmas of Humanitarian Intervention”. This event is part of MSF’s "Speaking Out Case Series", in which the organization openly examines and analyses the organization’s actions and decision-making process during humanitarian emergencies that have led it to speak out (Read the Series) Speaking at this event were Laurence Binet, Médecins Sans Frontières, François Audet, Canadian Research Institute on Humanitarian Crisis and Aid, and Laura Julie Perreault, journalist at La Presse. Frank Chalk, MIGS’ Director, chaired this event
Interviews
On 7 October, MIGS’ Senior Distinguished Fellow Roméo Dallaire gave an interview to Radio-Canada regarding his thoughts on Canada’s involvement in the fight against ISIL: "Roméo Dallaire propose « d'y aller à fond » contre l'EI".
On 7 October, Kyle Matthews sat down with Mutsumi Takahashi at CTV Montreal to discuss Canada’s involvement in the ISIS mission and what Canada’s six planes and support crews mean in this fight.
On 9 October, Roméo Dallaire took part in a televised discussion on Canada’s role in the fight against the Islamic State. You can watch the Radio-Canada 24/60 interview here (in French)
On 17 October, Roméo Dallaire gave an interview to La Presse titled “Groupe État islamique: une lutte à finir”
October 24: In “Advancing social justice at Concordia” Jonah Aspler, a graduate of the Department of Journalism, interviews Concordia’s human rights and social justice experts, including Frank Chalk and Kyle Matthews.
On 4 November, Vice Canada published an article titled “These Canadian-Based Forensic Anthropologists are Helping Bring Closure to Guatemalan Genocide Victims”. Kyle Matthews, who participated in the International Field Initiatives and Forensic Training field school this summer, is mentioned in the article. Pictures were taken by our colleague Tristan Brand and also feature on MIGS’ Project website Guatemala Uncovered.
Op-eds and Media
On 2 October, ahead of MIGS’s Raoul Wallenberg events held in Toronto and Montreal, Kyle Matthews published an article on OpenCanada.org - Canadian International Council, “In confronting genocide, Canada puts Raoul Wallenberg’s legacy into practice”.
On 21 October, Concordia University published an article in anticipation of MIGS’s final Raoul Wallenberg event in Montreal titled"Remembering Raoul Wallenberg, the man who saved 100,000 lives".
On 27 October, one of Concordia’s student newspapers, The Concordian, published an article on the Raoul Wallenberg Project.“Remembering one Raoul Wallenberg” also mentions MIGS’ efforts to prevent mass atrocity crimes
On 28 October, Kyle Matthews participated in an interview with the Montreal Gazette’s Peggy Curran titled "The quest for heroes", highlighting the “particular need right now to be reminded of the power of one”.