A certain University of Calgary professor is no stranger to receiving prestigious awards, but her latest will leave a lasting impression.
U of C law professor Dr. Kathleen Mahoney recently won one of five Trudeau Fellowships, which consist of a $150,000 prize and up to $75,000 of research allowance over three years. Since the establishment of the fellowship in 2002, less than 30 Canadians have received the recognition. According to the Trudeau Foundation website, the awards are given to those who have proven they are capable of promoting new solutions to major contemporary issues.
The prize is unlike a grant because it does not bear any requirements on its use. Recipients are free to spend the money on whichever project they wish. Mahoney has not decided what she will use the money for just yet.
“My thinking so far, is that I’ll continue on with the work I’ve been doing with judicial education and also in the fields of reconciliation and restorative justice,” she said.
Mahoney’s past projects include international work for constitutional law, women’s rights and educating the public about the judicial system.
“The judicial education that I do is looking at issues such as social context, human rights and equality and how those things work into judicial decision making, if they do at all,” she explained. “Often times they don’t and decision making, which is supposed to be independent and completely unbiased, is not.”
Mahoney said most people come to court as a last resort for seeking justice. If the litigation process is biased or if those in charge do not understand the social context of those seeking justice, Mahoney argues that the entire judicial system becomes undermined.
Trudeau Foundation program director Bettina Cenerelli explained the selection was made by an external committee which looks at leadership, productivity, reputation and communication and involvement. Mahoney was qualified in these areas because of her extensive work as chief negotiator for the Assembly of First Nations, which was awarded a unique settlement for residential school survivors. Her work with judicial education is currently in the form of a $12 million Canadian International Development Agency study tour project in Vietnam.
“Our scholars are not only brilliant and intelligent but these are really people who are active in many fields,” said Cenerelli. “Mahoney is not only a university professor, she’s much more than that. She’s trying to reach out; she’s engaging in all kinds of different domains. She’s not only a person who speaks up but acts as well.”
The Trudeau Foundation is composed of fellows who act as mentors to chosen scholars. The organization picks five fellows every year and accepts nominations for foreign students studying in Canada, a distinct feature among academic grants.
“The prize and research allowance allows them to continue the work they have been doing until now,” said Cenerelli, adding the foundation wishes to connect the public with humanitarians across Canada.