2010 Rights and Freedom Prize - ONLY SEVEN DAYS LEFT TO SUBMIT A CANDIDACY

MONTREAL, Sept. 7 2010 /CNW Telbec/ - The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse is issuing a reminder to all individuals and organizations who wish to submit their candidacy for the 2010 Rights and Freedom Prize, that they have until September 14 to do so.

"This year, the Commission encourages all individuals and organization who are making a difference in their communities to submit their candidacy and therefore to draw attention to their commitment to the fight against racial discrimination," said Gaétan Cousineau, president of the Commission.

Patricia Rimok, president of the Conseil des relations interculturelles du Québec, chairs the jury which also includes Ronald Boisrond, a renowned filmmaker and a member of the special SPVM committee to repair the troubled relationship between the police and the youth of Montréal-Nord, and Ghislaine Patry-Buisson, a retired employee of the Commission and a women's rights activist.

Since 1998, the Commission has awarded the Rights and Freedoms Prize each year to an organization or an individual as a public recognition for exceptional achievement or commitment to the defence of human rights and freedoms and of the rights of youth. The Prize is traditionally awarded at a ceremony in Montreal to mark the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, on December 10.

How to submit a candidacy

In line with its commitment to sustainable development, the Commission is urging individuals and groups to submit nominations either by e-mail, on CD or a memory stick. However, it will continue to accept nominations by mail.

Institutions or individuals who wish to submit a candidacy must send the completed nomination form along with a CV or an organizational profile, a letter describing the nominees, their work and why they merit the Prize. Nomination forms and additional information are available on the Commission's website at www.cdpdj.qc.ca.

Previous winners include: the Honourable Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré, who is the first Black Canadian to be appointed judge in the Province of Quebec, as well as Laurent McCutcheon, president of Gai Écoute and the Fondation Emergence.

    
    For further information, please contact:
    Julie Lajoye
    514 873-5146 or 18000 361-6477 ext. 230
    [email protected]
    

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For further information: Julie Lajoye, 514 873-5146 or 1 800 361-6477 ext. 230, [email protected]