Since its inception, the Foundation has centred its actions on four core themes that reflect central questions in Pierre Elliott Trudeau's life and work. Our themes are inclusive from all perspectives and often intertwined, encouraging interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches. The Foundation’s work centres on the Humanities and Social Sciences but with a sizeable disciplinary understanding of possible connections and inputs.
Human rights dignity
Human Rights & Dignity
Through the research and activities of our members, it is evident that human rights and dignity are defined well beyond the purely legal questions of our times. Civic, political, economic or social rights are being questioned, and societal values and expectations are being put to the test. Research projects do not only ask the common questions about marginalized groups, but they dare to ask questions about traditional power (im-) balances and what to do about it. Perceptions and presumptions are as much put into question as are traditional responses to age-old questions.

Scholar Research Projects:

Camille Lefebvre (Leiden University), 2022 Scholar
Incorporating International Law into Canadian Law: The Use of Deportation and Detention and the Impact on Migrant Security

Géraldine Manossa (UBC), 2024 Scholar
Developing Land-inclusive Reconciliation Processes with Indigenous Communities

Kate Mitchell (Toronto), 2024 Scholar
Temporary Outcasts: A Comparison of the Levers of Prison Reform in Canada and the United States

Luka Stojanovic (Trent), 2024 Scholar
From Silence to Empowerment: Restorying Experiences of Chronic Pain among Older Adults in Ontario
Responsible Citizenship
Responsible Citizenship
The functioning of a society as a whole depends on the parts that make it up. The local, national and global distinctions seem to vanish in an increasingly globalized society, while being simultaneously faced with movements of protectionism. Public and private responsibilities that defined society in the first place are losing their clear limits. Yet, communications are multiplied and dispersed and are symbolic for the questioning of the civic system as such. The proliferation of disinformation further complexify and erode social exchanges. Democratic processes are under strain and provoke new movements and collaborations. Citizenship across the world will depend on the capacity of its societies and components to face new challenges and to redistribute responsibilities.

Scholar Research Projects:

Tobias Gerhard Schminke (Dalhousie University), 2022 Scholar
Beating the Big Tent: Cross-national Perspectives on the Fragmentation of Democratic Political Party Systems over Time

Zoe Savitsky (York University), 2024 Scholar
Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Speech – and Freedom to Deceive? A Critical Legal History and Contemporary Canadian-U.S. Comparative Analysis of Deceptive Corporate Speech and Expression
Canada and the world
Canada & the World
Canada’s place and role in the world have never been as much front and center of the collective thought process as they currently are. Canada’s role in the world is not only dependent on our neighbour to the South, but our involvement in the economic, military, political, environmental, cultural, religious or other questions of our times have become more self-defining and essential for Canada as a country than ever before. Artificial intelligence is illustrating that barriers do not really exist anymore while biases, polarization and radicalization are alive and well. Canada has a plethora of roles to play and of contributions to make – at home and abroad.

Scholar Research Projects:

Prince Ekoh (University of Calgary), 2023 Scholar
Social Network and Support Experiences of Older African Refugees in Calgary: A Graphic Visual Inquiry

Vena Joseph (Université de Montréal), 2023 Scholar
Analysing the Coordination of Global Health Efforts in Haiti: A Study of Applying the Complex Adaptive Systems Governance Framework in Rural Areas of Haiti

Roojin Habibi (York University), 2022 Scholar
Pioneering Universal Legal Principles for the Protection of Human Dignity and Solidarity Amid Global Health Emergencies
People and their natural environment
People and their natural environment
The relationship between environment, economic power and self-determination is more and more put to the test by broadening the discussion and understanding the role that, among others, Indigenous peoples play in its preservation. Research will not stop at the impact of climate change, but will question its political, social, technological and economic implications. Our members currently research the link between climate change and the economy; they raise questions of ecocide, of urban spaces; of the relationship between public health and Indigenous knowledge. Environmental rights, protection and the impact of climate change on migration are among some of the subject matters currently investigated.

Scholar Research Projects:

Catherine Savard (Oxford), 2024 Scholar
The House is Burning: The Emerging Prohibition of Ecocide in International and National Law

Paloma Castonguay-Rufino (Université de Montréal), 2024 Scholar
Architectural Reuse as Climate Action: Toward a Comparative Framework for Recognizing the Value of Urban Industrial Remains in Canada