Irwin Cotler has been described as being at the forefront of the struggle for justice, peace and human rights.
He is presently a Canadian Member of Parliament, functioning as the official Opposition Critic for Human Rights, a member of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Human Rights, and a member of the House of Commons Committee on Public Safety and National Security.
Cotler previously held the position of Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, during which he designed legal remedies against racism in Canada and appointed two women to the Supreme Court of Canada.
An international human rights lawyer, he has served as Counsel to former prisoners of conscience such as Nelson Mandela in South Africa. Cotler has also been a leader in the movement for arms control, helped develop “Peace Law” as an area of both academic inquiry and legal advocacy, and has been engaged in the search for peace in the Middle East.
