About Us
Bonnie Campbell
Bonnie is professor emeritus in the Department of Political Science at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), where she taught political economy for many years. She previously headed the Interdisciplinary Center for Research in International Development and Society (CIRDIS) and the Research Group on Mining Activities in Africa (GRAMA). She was a member of the advisory group appointed by the Canadian government in 2006 during the National Roundtables on Corporate Social Responsibility and the Canadian Extractive Industry in Developing Countries. In 2016 she co-edited with Myriam Laforce the book La responsabilité sociale des entreprises dans le secteur minier. Réponse ou obstacle aux enjeux de légitimité et de développement en Afrique ? Bonnie has been a member of the Royal Society of Canada since 2012. Her full list of publications is here.
Geneviève Paul
Geneviève is executive director of the Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement (CQDE). She was previously director of the globalization office of the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) and interim director general of Amnesty International Canada (francophone division). Her duties included conducting investigations in Latin America and Asia focused mainly on the impacts of investment projects related to the textile, extractive and information technology sectors. She was also involved in several files related to access to justice. She actively participated in debates on these issues in the United Nations and the European Union, principally when she served on the steering committee of the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ). She has a master’s degree in international human rights law from the University of Essex.
Julia Sánchez
Julia is a development practitioner, feminist and environmentalist who has promoted equity and sustainable development for over 25 years. She has extensive experience in top-level international development program management, working with a range of international partners and donors. She is currently secretary general of ActionAid International and previously worked as president-CEO of the Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC). Julia ran as a candidate in Canada’s federal election in 2019 and has worked on the secretariat of a global climate change campaign and as a senior researcher with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). Julia currently serves as the chair of the board of CIVICUS and is a member of the advisory council of the International Centre for Not-For-Profit Law (ICNL). She holds a master’s degree in economics from McGill University.
Penelope Simons
Penelope is an associate professor and a vice-dean for research at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law and the Gordon F. Henderson Chair in Human Rights. A global leader in the field of business and human rights, Penelope’s research focuses on understanding and examining the international and domestic legal structures and power dynamics that protect and facilitate business activity. In 2014 Penelope co-authored with Audrey Macklin the book The Governance Gap: Extractive Industries, Human Rights, and the Home State Advantage. She was co-counsel for Amnesty International Canada in the Choc v Hudbay and Garcia v Tahoe cases, and for Amnesty International Canada and the International Commission of Jurists in the Nevsun v Araya case. In 2018 Penelope was awarded the Walter S. Tarnopolsky Award in recognition of her “significant contribution to human rights.” Her full list of publications is here.