Roméo Dallaire hosted by U of A’s HiMARC for Remembrance Day event

The University of Alberta’s Heroes in Mind, Advocacy, and Research Consortium (HiMARC) is hosting the retired Canadian Lieutenant-General in a virtual event discussing moral courage and leadership during times of crisis.

As part of the Cleveringa Dallaire Critical Conversation Series, HiMARC is hosting a Remembrance Day event on November 10 at 11:30 a.m. to discuss moral courage and leadership in times of crisis. The primary speaker at this event is Roméo Dallaire, retired Lieutenant-General and Canadian senator. Dallaire is primarily known for leading the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Rwanda during the Rwandan Genocide.

Joining Dallaire is Murray Sinclair, retired Canadian senator, Stéphanie Bélanger, associate scientific director of the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research, James Orbinski, director of York University’s Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research, and Ton Liefaard, UNICEF Chair in Children’s Rights at Leiden University.

According to Suzette Brémault-Phillips, director of HiMARC, the Cleveringa Dallaire Critical Conversation Series has covered a variety of topics surrounding morality throughout the eight-session series.

“[We have] focus[ed] on a variety of different topics related to moral courage, moral decision making, peacekeeping leadership, moral dilemmas, how to handle [dilemmas] in times of conflict and crisis, the impact [crisis has] on leaders, and the cost of leadership, moral injury, and moral repair,” Brémault-Phillips described.

When considering local and global current events, Brémault-Phillips described moral courage as a relevant topic in the world’s current climate.

“Right now we’re in a time of a lot of different global tensions,” she said. “[There are] different stressors that are going on on a global level… [This event relates to] the challenges leaders face, the ethical dilemmas that they encounter, and the courage that they need in making decisions on behalf of the greater good.”

According to Brémault-Phillips, students who have attended HiMARC’s sessions have expressed value in the opportunity to engage with and learn from Dallaire. She noted Dallaire’s appreciation for learning from the past when considering visions for the future as a point for interest for many attendees.

“The students who have been engaging with him have been really inspired by General Dallaire’s vision, experience, humility, and his ability to shine light on the cost of leadership, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and moral injury in leadership,” she said.

Brémault-Phillips described this event as an opportunity to showcase Dallaire as a “celebrated Canadian” who has made “a significant impact in Canadian culture and on the world stage.”