Member of the Order of Canada
Awarded on: 2016-11-18
Invested on: 2018-05-10
Howard Adelman’s work on behalf of refugees embodies the Canadian spirit of inclusivity and generosity. Professor emeritus at York University, he helped catalyze Canadians to privately sponsor thousands of refugees from Southeast Asia when he founded Operation Lifeline in 1979. From these efforts, he later created the Centre for Refugee Studies, the leading research centre in North America for forced migration studies. In addition, he is also recognized for his writings on the Rwandan genocide and other ethnic conflicts.