Kristen Boon, Susan & Perry Dellelce Dean of Common Law, presented the post-graduate degrees (Doctorate and Masters), as well as those in Program du droit canadien and Juris Doctor degrees (JD) to the graduates of the Common Law Section. The graduates each crossed the stage to be congratulated by Gilbert Whiteduck, former Chief of Kitigan Zibi and University President Jacques Frémont. Recognizing the sensitivities of these times, Whiteduck and Frémont opted to bump elbows with each graduate in lieu of shaking hands.
Jennifer Quaid, Associate Professor and Vice-Dean Research of the Civil Law Section, presented the Licences en droit (LLL) to graduates of the Civil Law Section. Vice-Dean Quaid, on behalf of the Faculty of Law, also conferred an honorary doctorate to Edith Cloutier.
Edith Cloutier is a member of the Anishinabe First Nation. She has dedicated her career to defending the rights and the well-being of urban Indigenous people. She has been the Executive Director of the Val-d'Or Native Friendship Centre since 1989. The Centre has won numerous awards and gained much acclaim, thanks to Cloutier’s contributions, and Cloutier herself has received many honors including the Knight of the National Order of Quebec (2006), the Order of Canada (2013), and the Prix de la justice du Québec (2016).
Cloutier has been steadfast and outspoken in denouncing police brutality against the Indigenous women of Val-d'Or, and she played a key role in the creation of the Viens Commission, which examined the systemic factors that affect relations between Indigenous peoples and public authorities.
The following 2022 graduates were recognized with awards and medals:
Danielle Lussier, now teaching at the Royal Military College in Kingston, won the Pierre-Laberge Humanities Award, which recognizes excellence in doctoral dissertation writing in the humanities. Lussier submitted the first-ever doctoral thesis in law presented partly in bead work in 2021.
Eva Ottawa, a professor in the Civil Law Section, won the René-Lupien Award for a master's thesis that makes an outstanding contribution to the understanding of the Francophonie in Canada, with her thesis on opikihawasowin - Development of the customary code for child movement among the Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok of Manawan.
Bethany Keeshan, the University Gold Medal
For the highest cumulative grade point average in the entire JD Program.
Camille Godin and Charles Hinse-MacCulloch, the University Silver Medal
For the second-highest cumulative grade point average in the entire JD program.
The Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History Prize, for the top students in the graduating classes:
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Heba Eid
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Sofia Maria Khan
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Daria Ioana Samson
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Gabrielle Rollin
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Andréa Morin
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Daniel Ryan Hong Chow
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Isabelle Catherine Fabi
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Erica Ivy Leibovitch
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Léa Raymond-Descoeurs
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Camille Péloquin
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Joshua Evan Chmielewski
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Nickolas Eburne
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Matthew Daniel Steinlauf
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Dana Haidar
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Vanessa Helen Purdie
Jordan Samaroo, the Common Law Section Dean's Award
In recognition of significant contributions made to the law school community.
Heba Eid and Sofia Khan, the Honorable Alice Desjardins Scholarship
For a cumulative grade point average of at least 8.0 in the National Program.
Heba Eid, the Right Honourable Brian Dickson Prize
For the highest standing in the National Program (JD/LLL).
Bethany Keeshan, The George W. Ainslie Memorial Prize
For the highest cumulative grade point average in the entire JD Program.
Gabriella Domenica Colavecchio, The Ranjan Agarwal and Sunita Bhowmik Prize
For the highest cumulative grade point average over all 4 years in the JD/MA Program.
Heba Eid, The Colonel Michel W. Drapeau Prize
For high academic achievement in the National Program in Common Law and for demonstration of leadership qualities and enthusiasm during his/her involvement in student affairs.
Please visit our website to view the list of award and medal winners from other faculties.
You can watch the full ceremony online.
Congratulations to all our graduates and award winners!