Chief Justice of Canada to speak at Canada’s largest interdisciplinary conference today at 12:15 MT

News
May 30, 2016

Daily Big Thinking lectures, a highlight of the 2016 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences

CALGARY, Daily, Monday, May 30 to Friday, June 2, 2016 —Leading scholars and public figures will address critical issues facing Canadians at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, which is taking place from May 28 to June 3 at the University of Calgary. Speakers will present forward-looking research and thinking to stimulate ongoing discussions within the public and broader academic community, bringing to light the valuable contribution of the humanities and social sciences to a free and democratic society. 

Speakers include The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of Canada, and award-winning journalist Chantal Hébert, among others. The public and media are welcome to attend any event in the lineup, free of charge:

The rule of law in a multicultural society
The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of Canada
Monday, May 30, 12:15 - 13:15
Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall in the Rozsa Centre
Join The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin as she discusses how the rule of law means different things to different people, and how maintaining it in a diverse, multicultural society like ours requires special vigilance. The lecture will address some challenges in preserving the rule of law in a multicultural society.

Losing the thread of the conversation: Covering Canadian politics in the social media era
Toronto Star journalist, Chantal Hébert
Tuesday, May 31, 12:15 - 13:15
Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall in the Rozsa Centre
In a world wired 24 hours a day, are the political class and the media covering it better connected to the reality or the opposite? And is the electorate better informed? Join Chantal Hébert, Senior Fellow of Massey College at the University of Toronto as she explores Canadian politics in the social media era.

Big Thinking and rethinking: Blackfoot metaphysics ‘waiting in the wings’
Founding Director of Harvard University’s Native American Program, Leroy Little Bear
Wednesday, June 1, 12:15 - 13:15
Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall in the Rozsa Centre
Join educator, author and long-time advocate for First Nations education Leroy Little Bear as he explores the implementation of cultural metaphysics in younger generations for the survival and continuation of a society. Including key concepts, customs, practices and social values, Little Bear asks if the dominant western academic cultural metaphysic is still serving our needs.

Navigating the global food fight: Trade, food security and the battle for policy space
Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and Sustainability, Jennifer Clapp
Thursday, June 2, 12:15 - 13:15
Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall in the Rozsa Centre
Join Trudeau Fellow and Professor, Environment and Resource Studies Department, University of Waterloo Jennifer Clapp as she explores how ideas about trade and food intersect with powerful interests, how current approaches too often become reduced to a binary understanding of options, and how opposing sides might move policy forward in constructive ways. This event is sponsored by the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.

The full Big Thinking series lineup at Congress 2016 is sponsored by the Canada Foundation for InnovationUniversities Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

-30-

About Big Thinking

Hosted by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, the Big Thinking lecture series brings together high-profile speakers who present forward-thinking research, bringing to light the valuable contribution of the humanities and social sciences to a free and democratic society. Big Thinking at Congress is sponsored by Universities Canada, the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

About the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences

Organized by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Congress is the largest interdisciplinary conference in Canada, and one of the largest in the world. Now in its 85th year, Congress brings together approximately 70 academic associations that represent a rich spectrum of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, including literature, history, theatre, film studies, education, music, sociology, geography, social work and many others. Congress 2016 is hosted by the University of Calgary. For more information, visit congress2016.ca.

About the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences

The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences promotes research and teaching for the advancement of an inclusive, democratic and prosperous society. With a membership now comprising over 160 universities, colleges and scholarly associations, the Federation represents a diverse community of 91,000 researchers and graduate students across Canada. The Federation organizes Canada’s largest academic gathering, the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, bringing together more than 8,000 participants each year. For more information about the Federation, visit ideas-idees.ca.

Media inquiries
Nicola Katz
Manager of Communications
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
T: 613-282-3489
nkatz@ideas-idees.ca
Follow us @ideas­_idees  #congressh #bigthinking