This afternoon we held a luncheon for human rights groups in the Ottawa area to come and hear about the Rideau Institute’s newest project, RightOnCanada.ca. The featured speaker was RightOnCanada.ca founder and Rideau Institute senior advisor Kathleen Ruff. Kathleen has a long history in the human rights field, including serving as the head of the BC Human Rights Commission.

RightOnCanada.ca will be an important tool for groups and individuals concerned about human rights to express their concerns directly to the government. Like Ceasefire.ca, another project of the Rideau Institute, RightOnCanada.ca will use the Internet to let Parliamentarians hear directly from citizens.

It was a pleasure to speak with so many dedicated people from such a variety of organizations, including Canadian Council for International Cooperation president Gerry Barr, and representatives from the North-South Institute, the Halifax Initiative, Mining Watch Canada, Inter Pares, Mines Action Canada, Canadian Biotech Action Network, the Council of Canadians, University of Ottawa professor Amir Attaran, Sack Goldblatt Mitchell, and many others.

The photo here is of Kathleen Ruff sharing her ideas and vision with the folks present, which sparked a lively discussion and sharing of ideas.

Steve