Author Description

The Symons Medal, one of Canada's most prestigious honours, recognizes an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to Canadian life. The award evening affords the distinguished recipient the opportunity to discuss the current state and the future of the Canadian Confederation. The Honourable Bob Rae is the 2020 awardee, in recognition of his many years of work on humanitarian issues, most recently the Rohingya refugee crisis, as well as his commitment to Indigenous issues and his decades of public service and teaching. He has always been deeply involved in the political life of Canada--as a member of Parliament, former premier of Ontario, and interim leader of the federal Liberal Party. Bob Rae, the twentieth recipient of the Symons Medal, devotes his lecture, titled Learning from the Past, Imagining the Future: Reflections from a Political Life, to exploring such themes as Canada's improbable origins as a nation, post-war emergence onto the global stage, active membership within the United Nations, and the significance of the ever-evolving Canadian constitution--a "living tree document." Learning from the Past, Imagining the Future extends the access to this inspiring lecture from a key contributor to the Canadian nation.