influen he ce t s Ottawa Asian Heritage Month Society presents: guish ut istin ed p o o d an ab w elli ak T sts spe . that have sh s ape ld d ie th f e success in t e i d to heir tiv Personal Journeys r l d le respec ives an

Panelists Errol Mendes Vincent Lam

is a lawyer, professor, author and advisor was born in London, Ontario, When to corporations, governments, civil into a family from the expatriate society groups, and the United Nations. Chinese community of Vietnam. May 6 (Thursday) His areas of expertise include corporate 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm law, governance and social responsibil- Two years later, they moved to ity, international business, trade and Ottawa where he was raised on public law, constitutional law, and his father’s stories, and works human rights law and policy. He has by C.S. Lewis and Roald Dahl, Where taught in these areas at law schools and developed aspirations to Library & Archives Canada across Canada and is presently a full become a writer. Vincent also Auditorium Professor of law at the University of developed an interest in medi- Ottawa. He has also been a human rights Tribunal member in cine, and enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine at the Canada, acted as an international arbitrator and an advisor in . Admission Canada’s Privy Council Office, and recently served as a Visit- ing Professional at the International Criminal Court in The Free Hague. Now a writer, and an emergency physician at the While his ethnic roots are from Goa, India, Professor Mendes was born in Kenya, East Africa. He obtained his Bachelor of Toronto East General Hospital, Vincent’s first Law degree from the University of Exeter in the UK, and a book, Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, won the Moderator Master of Laws degree from the University of Illinois. In 1979, Scotiabank in 2006, the first debut he emigrated to Canada and was called to the Bar of Ontario work ever to do so. Vincent is also the youngest in 1986. writer to win this prize. Bloodletting and Miracu- Michael lous Cures was adapted for television and recently Prof. Mendes has lectured and given media commentaries broadcast on HBO Canada. His forthcoming novel, across Canada and throughout the world. He led a project on Cholon, Near Forgotten, tells the tale of a Chinese Bhardwaj human rights in China in partnership with Beijing University. gambler in 1960’s Saigon. Vincent is also writing a biography of for the Penguin host of In Town and Out He has authored, co-authored, or edited several other books, Canada Extraordinary Canadians Series. on CBC Radio One including the landmark constitutional law text, The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 3rd Edition, Carswell, 1996. He is also Editor-in-Chief of Canada’s leading constitutional law journal, The National Journal of Constitutional Law. Vincent is a contributor to many publications, and has won a National Magazine Award. He is a In 2006, Prof. Mendes was awarded the Walter S. Tarnopolsky Lecturer in medicine at the University of Toronto Human Rights Award by the Canadian Section of the Interna- and has worked in international air evacuation and tional Commission of Jurists and the Canadian Bar Associa- expedition medicine on Arctic and Antarctic ships. tion for his human rights work in Canada and across the He lives with his wife and family in Toronto. world.

Ottawa Asian Heritage Month Society In partnership with Citizenship & Immigration Canada Designed by Tomomi Okubo