Trudeau Foundation Awards $900,000 in Fellowship Prizes

“Call of a Lifetime” Brings Prestigious $225,000 Fellowships to Four Accomplished Canadians Engaged in Reshaping our Society

Montreal, Quebec, May 13, 2009 — Four experts in the social sciences and humanities got the call of a lifetime recently when they learned they had each been awarded the prestigious $225,000 Trudeau Fellowship Prize from the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. The 2009 recipients, who specialize in diverse streams of the humanities, hail from York University, Memorial University, Université du Québec à Montréal and University of Victoria. Trudeau Fellowships are awarded annually through a rigorous nomination process to highly accomplished Canadians who question society’s worldviews and teach the importance of responsible and engaged citizenship.

The 2009 Trudeau Fellows are:

Isabella C. Bakker, York University: A global intellectual leader, superb teacher and role model dedicated to enriching the lives of women around the world. Her work demonstrating the role of women in the economy shows a persistent engagement at the highest level of policy research.

Beverley Diamond, Memorial University of Newfoundland: An exceptional leader in conserving and promoting Aboriginal and Canadian traditional music and exploring contemporary media, she is recognized for her creative approach, bringing the study and practice of music to a new level.

Simon Harel, Université du Québec à Montréal: A thought-provoking pioneer working to build an account of literature influenced and inspired by migration. He explores ethnic and cultural diversity in our societies, contributing significantly to academic milieus and the broader public.

Jeremy Webber, University of Victoria: An outstanding teacher and expert in Canadian constitutional politics, with a focus on Aboriginal rights. Webber is a brilliant communicator who applies his international experience to Canadian reality and explains Canada to international audiences.

“These Trudeau Fellows have proven that they can imagine and promote new solutions to contemporary issues of importance to all Canadians, relying on the knowledge they draw from the conscientious attention they pay to the needs of our society,” announced Foundation President P.G. Forest.

The prominent Trudeau Fellowships are awarded for a three-year period and include an award of $150,000, in addition to a $75,000 travel, research and dissemination allowance.