Human Rights Award Winners

On Wednesday, December 10, 2008, International Human Rights Day, the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties jointly presented the Human Rights Commitment Award of Manitoba and the Sybil Shack Human Rights Youth Award at a dinner celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The dinner followed the day-long Into the Future Human Rights Conference which engaged about 100 participants in assessing the impact of the Declaration, its successes and limitations, and considering the future development of international human rights law with a look at some of the next generation of human rights.

Yude Henteleff, C.M., Q.C.C,L.L.D. (Hon), (pictured here with former Regional Director of the Canadian Human Rights Commission Nicole Ritchot) received the Human Rights Commitment Award of Manitoba for his more than forty years of human rights advocacy on behalf of special needs children.  He has travelled throughout Canada and the world making  presentations about the legal and human rights of special needs children.  He has also written widely on the equality rights of these children and has received numerous honours and awards for his work and is one of the founders of both the Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba (LDAM) and the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada (LDAC).

Irene McKay received the Human Rights Commitment Award of Manitoba for her dedicated work to the rights of First Nations children and youth.  Mrs. McKay is a Cree woman from Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation. She is a Child Development Specialist for the Children with Lifelong, Complex, Medical Needs, a pilot program of the Awasis Agency of Northern Manitoba. Mrs. McKay has been an advocate for the rights of these children, working tirelessly to establish and maintain appropriate resources within the First Nations community to ensure that children with complex medical needs can return to a loving and nurturing home environment.

Accepting the 2008 Sybil Shack Human Rights Youth Award on behalf of Joe A. Ross School of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation were students Raven Richards and Brenna Constant. MARL Board member Angie Conrad presented the award.  The school took Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that everyone has a right to education, very seriously. The school raised money to help orphaned children in Rwanda realize their dream of an education. Staff had money deducted from their pay cheques, while students engaged in fundraising. The schools they supported increased their enrolment form 50 to over 300 students.