The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Awards Over $2.2 Million to Fifteen Doctoral Students

$150,000 Each to Tackle Today's Critical Social Issues
New Scholars to Congregate in Quebec City, May 27-30, 2008

Montreal, QC, May 27, 2008 — The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation has awarded $150,000 prizes to 15 new Scholars to advance research on topics including the environment, natural resources and energy, communications, international trade and vulnerable people. The Scholars are all actively engaged in their fields and expected to become leading national and international authorities on issues that affect our local and global societies.

The 2008 Trudeau Scholars are:

Maria Banda (International Relations, University of Oxford, and Law, Harvard University) studies the evolution of state responsibility to protect civilian populations since the War on Terror began to extract broader lessons for Canadian diplomacy.

Jonathan Beauchamp (Economics, Harvard University) analyzes the impact of international trade on the spread of technology and expertise, and how this might advance Canada's trade policies.

Andrée Boisselle (Law, University of Victoria) reflects on the possibility of a true dialogue with First Nations by revisiting both Western and Stó:lõ people's notions of law to find a common ground.

Julia Christensen (Geography, McGill University) studies issues related to access to housing and homelessness in the Northwest Territories.

Lisa Freeman (Geography, University of Toronto) explores the impact of municipal regulation on the availability of safe and affordable housing in Toronto, especially for new immigrants.

Xavier Gravend-Tirole (Theology and Science of Religion, University of Montreal and University of Lausanne) studies how a new interfaith framework could fruitfully address issues related to identity, relationships with others and religious pluralism.

Shauna Labman (Law, University of British Columbia) proposes to develop a refugee resettlement policy that takes into account both human rights and state responsibility - an area in which she feels Canada could become an international role model.

Mark Mattner (Political Science, McGill University) analyzes how local communities in Chad and Nigeria can be enabled to participate in, and benefit from oil extraction on their lands.

Daina Mazutis (Management, University of Western Ontario) examines how some business leaders succeed in both optimizing company profits and following their personal and social values, and how business and social needs can be better aligned.

Nicholas Rivers (Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University) assesses the effectiveness of alternative strategies to counter climate change with the goal of improving Canada's environmental policies.

Irvin Studin (Law, York University) examines the link between Canada's constitutional structure and its ability to project strategic power in the world--in particular by means of its diplomatic and military instruments.

William Tayeebwa (Communication Studies, Concordia University) explores the role radio broadcast programs play in conflict resolution in the African Great Lakes region.

Christopher Tenove (Rhetoric, University of California, Berkeley) studies the impact of international criminal trials and their media coverage in countries that have experienced a conflict.

Alberto Vergara Paniagua (Political Science, University of Montreal) investigates the retreat of democracy and the emergence of new kinds of authoritarianism in contemporary Latin American politics.

Lilia Yumagulova (Planning, University of British Columbia) addresses the challenge of increasing communities' ability to withstand natural disasters, with a special focus on marginalized urban communities.

"Trudeau Scholarships not only accelerate the careers of those who receive them, but also enable recipients to make a significant contribution to Canada and to Canadians," said Foundation President P.G. Forest.

The annual $50,000 bursaries subsidize tuition fees and living expenses and allow the Scholars to travel for research and scholarly networking.

In addition to receiving financial support, Trudeau Scholars benefit from the expertise and knowledge of Trudeau Fellows and Mentors, highly accomplished individuals in the Trudeau Foundation community who lead in both academic and non-academic settings. Interaction with non-academic milieus, including public policy networks and the public at large, is a key component of the Trudeau Scholars program.

The Foundation's Summer Institute, held this year in Quebec City, May 27-30, will be the new Scholars' first introduction to the Trudeau Community.