T
he Honourable Judge Michèle Rivet has been named a Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva. Judge Rivet was elected on November 1, 2003, and will serve a five-year term. The Commission, which is the governing body of the ICJ, is comprised of sixty eminent judges, lawyers, and law professors from over forty countries.

Judge Rivet is President of the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal. She served as President of ICJ Canada from 1996 to 2001, and currently sits on the Executive as Director of International Projects. During her tenure as ICJ Canada President, Judge Rivet conceived of and carried out the first of three successive and successful CIDA-funded international projects on judicial reform in Southeastern Europe.

Brian Crane, National Vice-President of ICJ Canada, spoke enthusiastically of Judge Rivet’s appointment: “It is a great credit to ICJ Canada and to Judge Rivet personally that she has been appointed as a Commissioner to the ICJ in Geneva. She has made a tremendous contribution to our projects on judicial training in Southeastern Europe, and it is wonderful that her efforts have been recognized at the international level.”

Canada is one of only a handful of countries with two ICJ Commissioners. The Honourable Mr. Justice Ian Binnie of the Supreme Court of Canada was elected Commissioner in April 2003. Justice Binnie said of Judge Rivet's appointment, “Michèle’s election as Commissioner is a wonderful boost for the ICJ. She has been a driving force in ICJ Canada for years, and the project she currently spearheads in Serbia and Montenegro is probably the single most ambitious and important undertaking that ICJ Canada has ever attempted. Michèle’s contribution to the international work of ICJ Geneva will be a source of great pride to all of us.” Prior to Justice Binnie’s election, the Honourable Claire L’Heureux-Dubé served as International ICJ President, as well as a Commissioner.

Regarding her appointment, Judge Rivet commented, “Because the promotion of the rule of law and commitment to human rights are enshrined in our Constitution, Canada has a very special role to play in the work of the International Commission of Jurists. I feel very privileged to serve at the highest level of an organization whose mandate has never been of greater importance to the world than it is right now.”