MEDIA ADVISORY

The 2019-20 Shaar Shalom Lecture at Dalhousie University - Featuring the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean 

This Wednesday, October 16, Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences welcomes Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean  to deliver the 2019-20 Shaar Shalom Lecture at Dalhousie.

Michaëlle Jean served as Canada’s 27th Governor General and Commander-in-Chief from 2005 to 2010 — the first individual of African descent to hold Canada’s highest vice-regal office. She is an immigrant from Haiti who overcame tremendous obstacles to build a distinguished career in journalism and humanitarianism. After concluding her mandate as Governor General, she was appointed as special envoy of the United Nations for Haiti to support reconstruction efforts following the devastating 2010 earthquake. She has served as Chancellor of the University of Ottawa, recently completed a four-year term as Secretary General of La Francophonie and founded the Michaëlle Jean Foundation to fund youth-led community and civic initiatives.

Madame Jean holds the following official titles: Member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada (C.P.), Companion of the Order of Canada (C.C.), Commander of the Order of Military Merit (C.M.M.), Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces (C.O.M.) and the Canadian Forces Decoration (C.D.). She holds 21 honorary degrees – with the most recent having been bestowed to her by Dalhousie University in spring 2019. 

The Shaar Shalom Lecture at Dalhousie University is an annual public lecture series which explores the broad themes of tolerance, multiculturalism, diversity and difference in contemporary Canadian society. Established as a partnership between the Shaar Shalom Synagogue and Dalhousie’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences this lecture series demonstrates our shared interests in bringing these themes to wider civil society.

WHAT: The 2019-20 Shaar Shalom Lecture at Dalhousie University

WHO: The former Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean

PRESENTATION TOPIC: “Shared Humanity: Generating Hope in an Era of Despair”

DATE: Wednesday, October 16, 2019 

TIME: 7:00 PM

WHERE: McInnes Room, Dalhousie University Student Union Building, 6136 University Avenue, Halifax

Media are welcome to attend this lecture but interviews with Madame Jean will not be permitted before or after the lecture. For interview opportunity, media are encouraged to attend her press conference at Province House the following day. 

Media contact for lecture event:

Genevieve MacIntyre | genevieve.macintyre@dal.ca | 902-494-6288 (office)

Press conference details

Date: October 17th, 2019 

Time: 9:30am to 11am (Speeches start at 10am) 

Where: The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia - 1723 Hollis St, Halifax