A Carleton student has won the Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case for advocating for gender equity on and off campus.
“When they called me they asked if I was sitting down. I totally thought it was something horrible,” graduate student Julie Lalonde said.
The Canadian studies student received the award with four others Oct. 21, for making outstanding contributions to the quality of life for women in Canada.
Lalonde has a long list of projects and achievements, including being co-chair of the Miss G Project for Equity in Education, an effort that successfully implemented new curriculum for gender equality in Ontario high schools.
She worked as project manager and volunteer at the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action, and was responsible for founding the first Canadian chapter of Hollaback!—an international online tool aimed at ending sexual harassment.
Lalonde said she volunteered with the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa for seven years.
In 2007, Lalonde co-founded the Coalition for a Carleton Sexual Assault Centre, advocating for a student-run, university-funded centre for sexual assault victims.
In April 2013, the coalition’s call was answered and the centre was opened. Lalonde called the opening “bittersweet.”
She said an administration-run centre is disappointing because it does not provide enough of a leadership role for students.
Although Lalonde said it’s not perfect, she is proud of the centre and noted the importance of the university’s investment.
She said for years there was no conversation about sexual assault on campus and that huge strides have been made in the fight for sexual assault support.
Lalonde also manages “Draw the Line,” a province-wide anti-sexual violence public education campaign, as well as hosts a weekly feminist radio program on the community station CHUO.
She is in the final year of her master’s program, studying the influences of poverty and isolation of elderly women, she said.
“People who do the work I do often don’t get recognized,” she said.
This award shows a positive shift in attitudes towards sexual harassment discussion, Lalonde said.
The award will be presented Oct. 29 at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General of Canada.
