Western Law graduate Roberta Jamieson (’76) is one of 10 experienced Canadian leaders assigned to mentor one or two promising doctoral students awarded the prestigious Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship.
Jamieson was the first woman from a First Nation in Canada to graduate from a law school and is a former commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario and Ombudsman of Ontario. She is president and CEO of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, and an authority in conflict resolution.
In 2001, Jamieson was elected chief of the Six Nations, becoming the first woman to head Canada’s most populous reserve. The Mohawk lawyer was the first non-parliamentarian appointed to a House of Commons committee. She is also a member of the Order of Canada.
The Trudeau mentors, with backgrounds in government, business, the arts, Aboriginal communities and public policy, are expected to provide “a uniquely experienced reality check” to research by Trudeau scholars to ensure their work is applicable to society’s needs and concerns.
“As citizens of the world, our mentors have a nationwide reputation based on their extraordinary achievements in their own particular field,” says Pierre-Gerlier Forest, President of the Trudeau Foundation.
The mentorship group also includes:
Guy Berthiaume, CEO of the Quebec National Library and Archives; Edward Broadbent, former professor and federal New Democratic Party leader;
Donald W. Campbell, former group president, CAE inc. and Canadian ambassador to Japan;
Maria Campbell, pioneer Métis writer, broadcaster, playwright and filmmaker;
Jim Judd, veteran, high-ranking public servant and former executive director of the Canadian Security Information Services;
Pierre Pettigrew, former politician and federal cabinet minister (Foreign Affairs, International Trade);
Edward Roberts, former Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador;
Guy Saint-Pierre, former CEO of SNC-Lavalin and former Quebec Minister of Education and Industry and Trade; and
Jodi White, former president of the Public Policy Forum.
Key areas of concentration for the Trudeau scholars and mentors are citizenship, Canada’s role internationally, human rights and dignity, and the environment.