Nos étudiants ont organisé toute une palette d’activités ce mois-ci: une conférence par la Banque Mondiale et une autre par le Commissaire aux langues officielles du Canada; un panel sur le Kenya et la Cour pénale internationale, un tournoi bénéfice de baby-foot et bien plus encore.
Avocats sans frontières McGill : Panel sur le Kenya et la Cour pénale internationale
Le 4 novembre, Avocats Sans Frontières McGill (ASF McGill) a tenu son premier événement de l’année: un panel sur le Kenya et la Cour pénale internationale. Groupe étudiant ressuscité cette année à la Faculté, ASF McGill est fier de ce premier succès!
Billed as a “Panel and Tea,” the event did feature pastries, donated by Pâtisserie La Ruche, for the more than 75 people who filled the Thomson House Ballroom to hear the passionate testimony of Flora Terah, a former candidate for Kenyan Parliament who survived the 2007-2008 electoral violence. Kyle Matthews, Senior Deputy Director of Montreal Institute for Genocide Studies, provided his policy take, while Professor Frédéric Mégret contributed a legal perspective on the issues.
La discussion a été d’autant plus animée par les contributions enrichissantes d’un public diversifié. Étudiants en droit, anthropologie et gestion, membres de la communauté Kényane, et avocats experts dans le domaine ont discuté des enjeux actuels de la justice pénale internationale et la tension entre réconciliation et responsabilité face aux actes de violence extrême survenus au Kenya en 2007-2008.
“I was extremely pleased to participate in this event,” commented Eric Moses Gashirabake, a first-year law student. “The topic of discussion has a personal connection for me, because I grew up in Kenya for 13 years as a Rwandan refugee and genocide survivor.”
With a goal of raising awareness on human rights issues through original and interactive activities, ASF McGill invites the McGill community to stay tuned for more upcoming events. For more information, follow ASF McGill on Facebook.
– Martha Chertkow, Présidente, Avocats sans frontières McGill
Tournoi bénéfice présenté par MIFA, l’Association internationale de Baby-foot de McGill
Coffeehouse was a little different on October 24, when the McGill International Foosball Association (MIFA) hosted it. Over 150 students came out for the Fourth Annual Charity Foosball Tournament (MIFA Cup), raising $1165 for Right to Play Canada, whose mission is to use sport and play to educate and empower children and youth to overcome the effects of poverty, conflict, and disease in disadvantaged communities.
« Je suis très contente de la participation et nous avons réussi à atteindre notre objectif de levée de fonds, » a dit la présidente de l’Association internationale de Baby-foot de McGill, Michèle Lamarre-Leroux. « Après quatre années, le tournoi jouit maintenant d’une certaine renommée et son organisation est de plus en plus facile. »
« C’est aussi la première fois cette année que la MIFA a réussi à attirer des étudiants des autres facultés de McGill. Six équipes provenant de la Faculté de Génie et de la Faculté des Arts se sont inscrites. Cet événement a donc maintenant un rayonnement à la grandeur de l’université! J’avoue que j’ai eu un petit pincement au coeur en allant porter le trophée aux vainqueurs à la Faculté de Génie. Toutefois, voyant que plusieurs personnes connaissent maintenant la MIFA et l’existence du tournoi, je ne peux qu’être enthousiaste quant aux proportions que cet événement pourrait prendre l’année prochaine! »
MIFA assembled several sponsors for the event, namely Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, as well as the food and drink sponsors Andalos and D Liche Cupcakes. Raffle prizes were offered by Dix Mille Village, Social Conscience, Pub St. Paul, Right to Play McGill, and Smoke’s Poutinerie.
MIFA seeks to foster a positive and collegial learning environment in the Law Faculty by enabling all law students to participate in a fun, social and stress-relieving activity regardless of skill, experience or coordination. For more information, contact the executive at: mifa.mcgill@gmail.com
McGill accueille le Commissaire aux langues officielles du Canada, présenté par Droits Linguistiques McGill
Le 19 novembre, le club étudiant, Droits Linguistiques McGill (Linguistic Rights McGill), était fier de présenter, en collaboration avec le Centre pour l’Étude de la Citoyenneté Démocratique, une conférence de M. Graham Fraser, Commissaire aux langues officielles du Canada, intitulée « L’accès à la justice dans les deux langues officielles : Améliorer la capacité bilingue de la magistrature des cours supérieures »
“The event went fantastically well,” said Pierre Lermusieaux, V.P. Communications at Droits Linguistiques McGill. “I was quite impressed by Mr. Fraser’s passion for linguistic issues as well as by his awareness of the complex legal issues which are currently arising in the context of linguistic rights litigation. It was truly a pleasure to hear him speak about his past professional experiences and to hear his point of view on the recent Supreme Court of Canada decision in Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie‑Britannique v. British Columbia.”
L’objectif principal de Droits Linguistiques McGill est de promouvoir, étudier et faire avancer les droits et libertés des communautés linguistiques minoritaires du Canada.
L’accent principal des activités du club est mis sur les minorités linguistiques francophones situées à l’extérieur du Québec. Une attention particulière est prêtée aux questions entourant l’accès à la justice, l’application de la Loi sur les langues officielles et des lois provinciales sur les services en français, l’exigence de bilinguisme pour certains postes d’emploi, ainsi que tout autre enjeu émergeant ayant un impact sur les communautés francophones du Canada en situation minoritaire.
Pour plus d’information, prière de contacter andrea.suurland@mail.mcgill.ca, ou visiter leur site Facebook.
MILS presents a talk by two World Bank litigation specialists who are fighting corruption
On November 1, students of the McGill International Law Society (MILS) hosted a conference with two World Bank litigation specialists, law alumna Michelle Ratpan (BCL/LLB’06) and Robert Delonis, a graduate of Georgetown and NYU School of Law.
Three members of the MILS executive, James Povitz, Jordan Dawson and Daniel Cohen (pictured, right), were on hand to introduce the speakers and keep the ball rolling. Through what they termed an “in your face” publicity campaign, MILS managed to attract an audience of at least 45, which nicely filled Room 312. “It was a huge turnout for a Friday afternoon, the day after Halloween,” remarked Cohen. “We had a good mix of our fellow students, as well as other McGill students and Université de Montréal law students.”
The guest speakers are both lawyers with the Integrity Vice Presidency (INT), a unit of about 100 people within the World Bank in Washington, D.C., that is dedicated to investigating allegations of corruption, collusion, fraud, coercion or obstruction affecting economic development projects funded by the World Bank. Ratpan and Delonis explained what they do at the World Bank, how they go about it, and why policing corruption is so important on the global stage
They also shared a little career advice with those who had come to hear them speak: “The job you want is not going to fall into your lap,” said Ratpan. You have to plan ahead, be tenacious and “network like crazy.” Delonis, who practiced law with a multinational law firm before joining INT in 2006, echoed this advice, adding: “Take a chance. Be ready to jump. Just get in there, even if there is not a lot of job security at first, then once you are in that world, show them you are indispensable.”
After the success of the event, the MILS executives expressed a desire to put on more career-oriented events at the Faculty of Law. “The three of us are all B.Com. grads,” said Cohen, “and we used to put on lots of events like this at Desautels. We think there is an opportunity to organize more of them here in the future.”
Founded in 2006, the McGill International Law Society / Société de droit international de McGill (MILS) is a student club dedicated to promoting the study of international law, facilitating debate on matters of international law, and advertising the different professional and educational opportunities that international law affords. For more info on MILS, visit their Facebook page or email them at mcgill.ils@gmail.com.
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