RIGHTS & DEMOCRACY OVERHAULS ITS MANAGEMENT TEAM AND ANNOUNCES NEW DIRECTIONS

MONTREAL, Oct. 18 /CNW Telbec/ - Gérard Latulippe, president of Rights & Democracy, today announced that Stéphane Bourgon, Maxime Poulin and Martin Fortier are joining the organization's management team: Mr. Bourgon as Senior Director, Communications, Government Affairs and Strategic Planning, Mr. Fortier as Director, Administration and Resources, and Mr. Poulin as Director, Development. These new members of the management team assume their duties today. "There is no doubt that these three new directors will breathe new life into our organization, with their extensive experience and skills in several different areas," said Mr. Latulippe.

These appointments are part of the implementation of new guidelines approved by the board of directors and a reorganization plan that is being developed to put an end to the internal crisis that rocked Rights & Democracy this past winter. The crisis had undermined the confidence of elected officials, the public and partner organizations, compromising the organization's ability to effectively carry out the mission it was assigned by an act of the Canadian Parliament. This mission consists in supporting the promotion, development and strengthening of democratic institutions and programs relating to human rights that give effect to the rights and freedoms enshrined in the International Charter of Human Rights.

"I am counting on the people whose appointments I am announcing today and on the vast experience each one has developed throughout his career to implement our new guidelines and strategic choices and to oversee our recovery. I'm also convinced that all of our dedicated staff and professionals will give this new team their full cooperation," added Mr. Latulippe.

The addition of high-level professionals to the management team is the first step in the changes that will be announced at a later date. The mandate of this new team, which reports to the president, will include defining the strategic choices that will balance the institution's actions in democratic development and human rights, increasing and diversifying its funding, and reviewing its operations so that it can act on its strategic choices, in conjunction with its human resources and its national and international partners.

"When I agreed to become President of Rights & Democracy in March, I knew the organization was in the throes of an unprecedented internal crisis. While it was essential to take an in-depth look at the past and learn from it, it was also vital to make the necessary decisions to turn the situation around and face the future. From the very first day, I took on the difficult task of reorienting the organization so that it would better reflect its dual role in democratic development and human rights, correct the dysfunctional aspects observed within the organization, restore internal cohesion, devise measures to ensure results-oriented management of programs and lastly, restore calm in the working environment.  This task has not yet been completed. The organization will reflect on its new strategic choices, with a special focus on programming for democratic development. On the management side, a new action plan will soon be submitted to the board," Mr. Latulippe concluded.

Here is a summary of the biographies of Rights & Democracy's three new directors.

SENIOR DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AND STRATEGIC PLANNING:
Stéphane Bourgon, Ad.E, CD, B.Adm, LL.B, LL.M,  completed a Master's Degree in International Law at the Université de Montréal, a Bachelor of Law at Université Laval and a Bachelor of Business Administration at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean/Université de Sherbrooke. Formerly a logistics officer and legal advisor with the Canadian Forces, Mr. Bourgon began his legal career with the office of the Judge-Advocate General, where he was responsible for coordination and training senior officers in international humanitarian law.  

Mr. Bourgon went on to serve as advisor in international law to the office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague and chef de cabinet for the office of the President-Chief Justice. He was then asked by the clerk of the Tribunal to represent accused persons unable to pay their legal costs. In the two years leading up to his appointment at Rights & Democracy, Mr. Bourgon also practiced law in Rwanda and the Central African Republic. A recognized specialist in international humanitarian and criminal law, he has also taught at the Université du Québec à Montréal and at the Académie des droits de l'homme et du droit humanitaire in Geneva. He has taken part in numerous conferences as an expert and published many specialized articles. In 2009, he was awarded the title of avocat émérite by the Quebec Bar.  

DIRECTOR, ADMINISTRATION AND RESOURCES:
Martin Fortier, MBA, D3CBA, has more than 30 years of experience as an organizational management specialist. He completed a Doctorate in Business Administration and a Master's in this same field at the Université de Sherbrooke. He has held a number of management positions, including responsibility for human and financial resources management for leading corporations such as Bell Quebec and Bell Canada. In recent years, Mr. Fortier has served as an external consultant and worked on many assignments to optimize the contribution made by work teams. He was also the founding president of the Conseil québécois de la qualité totale.

DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT:
Maxime Poulin holds a Master's Degree in Public Communications from Université Laval and a BA in History from the Université de Sherbrooke. He served as policy analyst for the National Liberal Caucus Research Bureau. He has also held a number of positions as a policy and ministerial advisor to the federal government in Ottawa, including the Minister of Health and the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, as well as the office of the Leader of the Official opposition. For the past three years, Mr. Poulin worked for the National Democratic Institute, a Washington-based NGO that provides support for institutions and democratic practices in all regions of the world. Representing this organization, Mr. Poulin was senior governance advisor to Iraqi authorities in Irbil, Iraq and, until this past May, director in residence in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, where he led a pilot project for governance and transparency in the extractive industries. During the course of his career, he has acquired expertise in the development of public policy and good governance, promotion of democracy, and communications and government relations.

ABOUT RIGHTS & DEMOCRACY

Rights & Democracy is a non-partisan, independent Canadian institution created by an Act of Parliament in 1988 to promote democratic development and to advocate for and defend human rights set out in the International Bill of Human Rights. In cooperation with civil society and governments in Canada and abroad, Rights & Democracy initiates and supports programs to strengthen laws and democratic institutions, primarily in developing countries.

For further information:

Source:	Rights & Democracy
Information:	Augie van Bilgouw Communications officer [phone]