UVic’s John Borrows receives Killam Prize
OTTAWA — University of Victoria scholar and lawyer John Borrows is among a group of scientists, writers, doctors and researchers receiving a prestigious prize for brilliant work in fields including health sciences, engineering and humanities.
Borrows is among five scholars awarded this year’s Killam Prize, which honours Canadian researchers and scientists whose lifetime of work has affected Canadians and citizens around the world.
Borrows received the honour in the Social Sciences category for his work to incorporate indigenous legal concepts into the practice of Canadian law. He is Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Law at the University of Victoria Law School.
Each winner receives $100,000 and will be honoured at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on May 30.
“John’s scholarship is leaving a transformative legacy within both indigenous and non-indigenous worlds,” said James Tully, professor emeritus of political science, law and indigenous governance, and UVic’s first Killam Prize winner in 2010. “And he’s opening the path to new generations of indigenous scholars hoping to follow in his footsteps.”
As a global leader in indigenous law, Borrows’ ideas helped shape the recommendations of both the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. He has led engagement with indigenous legal traditions in Canada and internationally, bringing to light some of the injustices, inequalities and conditions of indigenous people. His scholarship has been cited by the Supreme Court of Canada.
In conjunction with the Waterloo-based Centre for International Governance Innovation, Borrows is researching the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, assessing indigenous dispute settlement systems and the protection of religious, cultural and land rights in international law. In addition to teaching generations of students at his home base in UVic’s law school, he has served as visiting professor in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.
Also earning the Killam prize was leading HIV/AIDS researcher Julio Montaner of Vancouver, who heads the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. Montaner pioneered the highly active antiretroviral therapy and championed the “Treatment as Prevention” strategy.
Other winners include University of Toronto philosopher Tom Hurka for his work on moral and political philosophy; evolutionary and molecular biologist W. Ford Doolittle of Dalhousie University, for integrating the philosophy of biology and genomic research on notions of the “tree of life” and Gaia Theory; and University of Toronto researcher Molly Shoichet for her work on tissue and polymer engineering, focusing on targeted drug delivery, tissue regeneration and stem cell research.
Winners are chosen by a committee of their peers. Previous winners include Victoria Kaspi, the late Mark Wainberg and Nobel Prize winner Arthur McDonald.