The Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy

Progressive Dialogue and Policy for a Better Canada

Hon. Lloyd Axworthy C.C. :)

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January 6, 2016

Hon. Lloyd Axworthy C.C. 🙂

By Andrew Cardozo

Governor General announced the appointment of new members and companions of the Order of Canada last week. One of the recipients was Lloyd Axworthy for “his principled contributions to international human rights and for his leadership in post-secondary education, particularly in support of Aboriginal students”.

The Honourable Lloyd Axworthy is a Board Member of the Pearson Centre. He retired as President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Winnipeg last summer. Dr. Axworthy’s political career spanned 27 years, during six of which he served in the Manitoba Legislative Assembly and twenty-one in the Federal Parliament. In the Foreign Affairs portfolio, Dr. Axworthy became internationally known for his advancement of the human security concept, in particular, the Ottawa Treaty – a landmark global treaty banning anti-personnel landmines. For his leadership on landmines, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr. Axworthy has been named to Order of Manitoba, to the Order of Canada and now promoted as a Companion of the Order of Canada, and has received honorary doctorates from 12 universities. He is a member of the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, the first global initiative to focus specifically on the link between exclusion, poverty and law. He continues to be active in various global initiatives to address the myriad complex world issues of conflict, peace and human rights.

The work he has done for the advancement of Indigenous students over the last decade at U of W are very much in line with what the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is calling for now.

For more background check out Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Axworthy