Senator Frances Lankin Celebrates Ratna Omidvar’s Honourary Degree from Ryerson University

Hon. Frances Lankin: Honourable senators, this time of year is a time of celebration for many. I’m thinking of all the students graduating and all the convocation ceremonies taking place and I know that many of us, as grandparents, parents and relatives, take pride in seeing our youth succeed.

Often at these ceremonies there is something else special that happens, and it is an opportunity for institutes of higher learning to celebrate both the accomplishments and contributions of exceptional people in our country and our world.

Those people become models for the students. The messages they deliver are important in terms of the students being able to see themselves in a successful life as their lives unfold having watched the path that others have taken.

Such an event took place on Monday of this week in Toronto, at Ryerson University. One of our colleagues was celebrated in such a way and was a recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Laws. This colleague is someone whom I also count as a friend, but I think it’s amazing that I work with and that I am friends with someone who is acknowledged and celebrated as an internationally recognized voice on migration, diversity and inclusion. I’m proud to have that association.

There are a number of other senators here who have that distinguished moniker of being international leading voices. This is such an amazing place, but we don’t take time to celebrate them all and this is a moment for me.

The other thing that is exceptional about Senator Ratna Omidvar, who received her Honorary Doctor of Laws this week — this is her second one — is the impact she has had on our collective lives in Canada. She came here as an immigrant and has been a leader in community organizations at the grassroots level. Peoples’ lives are touched through her settlement work and advocacy around migration and immigration issues. Her tenacity, her strength and her growing presence over the years in leadership roles, many awards and contributions, co-editing and authorship of papers and books, are among her many distinguished recognitions. I’m not going to list them because you can read those.

All this to say I have experience in work in Toronto in community and community-building through United Way and other organizations that worked in partnership with Ratna when she led the Maytree Foundation. She did consistent work to reach out to people in our community whose voices were not being heard. We suffered from their perspective and expertise not being brought to bear on conversations. Her work at Maytree changed the dynamic on that in Toronto, and her work in establishing TRIEC and organizations like that across the country has contributed greatly to our country.

Join me in helping celebrate Senator Ratna Omidvar’s honorary degree.