The Canadian Partnership for International Justice wins Governor General’s Innovation Award

By Common Law

Communication, Faculty of Law

Awards and recognition
Professors
Innovation
Governor General Innovation Awards black background with graphic waves
The Rideau Hall Foundation has announced that the Canadian Partnership for International Justice (CPIJ) — which includes five Common Law professors — is one of the recipients of the eighth annual Governor General’s Innovation Awards. These awards recognize transformational Canadian innovations that create a positive impact in Canada and inspire the next generation of innovators.

Led by Professor Fannie Lafontaine (Université Laval), the CPIJ is a pan-Canadian partnership of 25 researchers from eight universities, four university-based legal clinics and three non-governmental organizations that aims to strengthen access to justice for victims of international acts such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The 25-member team includes the Common Law Section’s, Professor Jennifer Bond, Professor François Larocque and Professor Penelope Simons as co-researchers, and Professor John Packer and Professor João Velloso as collaborators. 

The CPIJ innovates by building multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral bridges between research and practice through legal clinics, where a multinational cohort of more than 600 students has been educated, equipping them with knowledge, practical training and access to a diversified network. These students represent the future of international justice. 

Across all of its activities, in specialized forums or in the field, CPIJ has brought together, educated, connected and sensitized thousands of people. The team’s numerous recent interventions on the conflict in Ukraine are striking and recent examples, as is the partnership’s work on colonial genocide and the recognition of the crime of ecocide. 

The Rideau Hall Foundation will present the 2023 Governor General’s Innovation Awards at a special ceremony in Ottawa on May 18, 7:00 p.m., at the National Arts Centre. 

See the list of Governor General’s Innovation Award recipients