Public lecture on the Audacity of Inclusion by NS Privacy Officer on May 21
Dulcie McCallum, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Review Officer for Nova Scotia, will be the guest lecturer at the annual Chief Justice Thane A. Campbell Lectureship in Law on Thursday, May 21, at the University of Prince Edward Island.
Her presentation, entitled 'The Audacity of Inclusion', will discuss assisted decision-making and guardianship - Is guardianship law a thing of the past? Has the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, to which Canada is a signatory, changed how we include people who are labeled mentally disabled? McCallum will discuss the proceedings at the UN leading up to the passing of the Convention. Her focus will be on what guardianship laws meant that held people to be incompetent, and what a new model might look like that will enable all people to maximize their ability to make decisions for themselves.
McCallum received her law degree from the University of Victoria in 1981 and was called to the bar in 1983. She was the ombudsman for British Columbia for seven years, until 1999. Since then, she has worked for government, contributing her expertise to high-profile projects such as the administrative review into abuse at Woodlands School that resulted in the public report, 'The Need to Know.' She has also worked in the not-for-profit sector, particularly in the area of rights of people with disabilities. This included acting as an expert representative on the Canadian Delegation to the UN for four years.
The Chief Justice Thane A. Campbell Lectureship in Law is co-sponsored by UPEI and the Law Foundation of Prince Edward Island. In 1991, the Foundation created an endowment at UPEI to provide a stimulating series of lectures in honour of Chief Justice Thane A. Campbell, former premier of PEI and first chancellor of UPEI.
The May 21 lecture by Dulcie McCallum is open to the public. It will begin at 7 p.m. in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium of McDougall Hall, UPEI. Following the speech, there will be an opportunity for questions and discussion. There is no charge and everyone is welcome.
