The CSPC Science Policy Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to science policy, and throughout their career have championed and inspired the science policy community in Canada. This award recognizes the work of individuals who have worked in science policy over a period of many years and made a deep impact in Canadian science policy.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is nominated and selected by the CSPC Board of Directors. CSPC encourages all individuals and/or organizations to forward names of any persons who they believe might deserve to be nominated for this award to CSPC (info@sciencepolicy.ca). The CSPC is committed to the principles of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and encourages individuals from all groups to apply. An individual may win the CSPC award only once.
2024 – Lifetime Achievement Award Winner:
Michèle Stanton-Jean, PhD
Chercheuse invitée, Centre de recherche en droit public, Université de Montréal
Contribution: Michèle Stanton-Jean is a trailblazer in public health policy, governance, and bioethics. As a research associate at the Centre de recherche en droit public of the University of Montreal, she has significantly shaped the fields of public health, bioethics, and citizen participation in policymaking. Michèle held numerous senior positions, including as Canada’s Health Deputy Minister, where she played a crucial role in reorganizing the Canadian Blood System and renewing the Canadian Tobacco Legislation. She has made major contributions internationally, chairing the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee, where she led the development of the International Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights.
She is also a recognized researcher and the author or co-author of numerous books, including a notable publication on the evolution of women’s involvement in public life, “L’ Histoire des femmes au Québec depuis quatre siècles”” (1982). Her distinguished career has earned her multiple awards, including the Order of Canada and the Légion d’Honneur of France, cementing her legacy as a leader in Canadian and global public health governance.
2022 – Lifetime Achievement Award Winner:
Sheila Watt-Cloutier
Citizen Advocate on Environmental, Cultural and Human Rights
Sheila Watt-Cloutier has been selected as a result of so many years of exceptional contribution and leadership over the course of her career in bringing Indigenous perspectives and knowledge to national and international policymaking, in particular on environmental health, sustainability and preservation.
She has raised awareness of the threat of climate change in the Arctic and its relationship to human rights and Indigenous rights in Canada, and globally, She has been clearly articulating the interconnectedness of Inuit culture, the environment, the economy, foreign policy, global health, and sustainability. Her work with the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment integrated traditional and western knowledge and evidence, bringing a human face to climate change in the Arctic. She has inspired the science policy community across Canada with her insights, courage, and voice.
