WHAT’S INSIDE? QUEL EST LE CONTENU?

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ÉDITO 3OBITUARY 4MAX REED 5KIRSTEN ANKER 5DAN HARRIS 6ALEX SHEE 7THOMAS CHALMERS 8GREGORY KO 9MIKE LOCKNER 10VICTOR MUNIZ-FRATICELLI 11D. SIMMONDS 11LAEKA REZA 11ROBERT LECKEY 12TINA PIPER 12CÉLIA JUTRAS 13SOPHIE ROY-LAFLEUR 14KATRINA PEDDLE 15STEFAN SZPAJDA 16ADELA MACIEJEWSKI SCHEER 17GUIDE-CARRIÈRES EN INTÉRÊT PUBLIC 18MARGARET CARLYLE 19ANONYMOUS 19PAYAM AKHAVAN 20ANDREW DEAK 21CITY OF TORONTO 22EVAN FOX-DECENT 25DANIEL JUTRAS 26

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2 5 o c t o b r e 2 0 1 1 | O c t o b e r 2 5 t h 2 0 1 1

J o u r n a l d e s é t u d i a n t - e - s e n d r o i t d e l ’u n i v e r s i t é M c G i l l

M c G i l l L a w ’s W e e k l y S t u d e n t N e w s p a p e r

É D I T O

QN • OCTOBER 25 2011 • 3

HÉLIATAHERI

C o - E d i t o r - i n - C h i e f

Le 17 Octobre 2011, la faculté de droit a perduune de ses étudiantes de la promotion 2011 :

Alexandra Dodger.

Students, faculty members, family and friendshave come together to celebrate her life and

honour her memory.

L'équipe du Quid a décidé de dédier ce numéroentièrement à Alexandra.

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate:Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summer's lease hath all too short a date:Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd;But thy eternal summer shall not fade,Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou growest;So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

SONNET 18

SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO ASUMMER’S DAY?

by William Shakespeare

4 • 25 OCTOBRE 2011 • QN

ALEXANDRA DODGER(December 23, 1983 - October 15, 2011)

“You were a true original Alex.” Alexandra Natalia McFabulous Artful Dodger (her full name) waswitty, intelligent, and passionate. She always kept people on their feet, challenging their opinionsand asking them to question their ideas. You could hear her debating in the hallways or challen-ging norms in class. She laughed a lot and danced in a funny way, allowing no coffeehouse to be

immune from her charm.

She came into law school with a tremendous sense of purpose. You could see in her eyes thatshe knew she could make a difference, and she did. This passion may have come from her wor-king class background, raised as a single child by her mother and grandmother who worked hardto make ends meet. It most probably was in great part shaped by her involvement in the Univer-sity of Toronto Student Union and NDP. It took form at McGill in RadLaw, the LSA, McGill’s YoungNDPs and other student groups. She stood up for what she believed in, and eloquently argued

those ideas. She even helped our faculty shine as part of the Jessup International moot team thatrepresented Canada in its international rounds. But, at her core she was an activist. She spoke upat every SSMU General Assembly, demonstrated for human rights on campus and even camped

out in front of administrators’ offices. If she had a cause, she gave sweat and blood for it. Shenever went unnoticed and was always recognized for having an impact.

As a law community, we have tremendous potential to make this world a better place; she tookthe time to remind a lot of us of that fact. She was starting a career in what she loved, advocating

for the weak and the voiceless at Amnesty International in Ottawa. She lived life to the fullest,but she had so much more to accomplish.

Alex never ceased to make us laugh, think and try to make this world a better place. No matterwhere she is now, she will continue to challenge us to be passionate, involved, and committed to

doing what we love and changing the world for the best, because she would have.

The testimonials and stories in this Quid are a snapshot of the tremendous person she was. Sheleaves many friends hoping that her life can inspire others to live one filled with purpose and sur-

rounded by love.P

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QN • OCTOBER 25 2011 • 5

MAX REED A TRIBUTE TO ALEX DODGER

“How could this have happened to Alex right now, she was sup-posed to be arresting George Bush” was how one friend reactedto the terrible news of Alex’s death.

Alex’s most recent adventure at Amnesty was part of her well-known, longstanding commitment to social justice about whichlots will be said. But this is a story about banter not biography.Rather than recite her CV, I want to reflect on the passing of agood friend.

You can forget currency metaphors to describe Alex. To fully cap-ture her complexity you have to compare her to one of thosemulti-sided die used in those role-playing games she so dis-dained. Her commitment to equality and social justice grew outof her personal history. She was raised in a newcomer familythat worked hard to make ends meet. She lacked the privilegethat many of us at McGill law took for granted. Yet she neverused this as a stick to poke guilty liberals (ok… only a few times).Instead, she used it to inject passion into her principles. Withoutbeing doctrinaire, she was rigidly coherent in the classroom, thehallway, and, especially, the bar. One friend recounts with joy theway his arguments with Alex defined Immigration and RefugeeLaw. I’m not so sure the other students were as joyful as he orshe. But she certainly had a strong presence at McGill law.

She wasn’t just relentless at McGill, but also towards McGill it-self. In 2010, she worked in Paris for four months. Loving la vieParisienne, she decided that she wanted to pursue an academicexchange there. But McGill said no. In reply, she waged war. Sheemailed every McGill administrator she could think of, phonedthem daily, and even camped outside one woman’s office for abit. When this didn’t work, she emailed every law school in Paristo create a program just for her. At one point, the Dean of Sci-ence Po was ready to grant her request. McGill, though, as it iswant to do, held its line. Eventually, McGill and her reached dé-tente in Brussels where she enjoyed herself a great deal. In a for-mer life, I was employed full-time by the McGill student union tofight McGill on behalf of students. I never fought a bureaucraticbattle half as intensely as she fought this one.

It didn’t matter if she won or lost, if she was right or wrong, Alexadvanced her cause with a unique mix of dignity, gusto, passion,and intelligence, that always made an impact. Her recent workwith Amnesty garnered so much media attention that my friendsin Sweden and the USA, who did not know Alex, sent me thenews articles with a big thumbs up.

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Dear Alexandra,

I find an old reference letter; init, I wax enthusiastically aboutthe bright future that you willno longer have. I write that youwere outstanding as much foryour passion and dedication asfor your compelling intellect.

We will not forget.

KIRSTEN ANKER

C l a s s m a t e & F r i e n d

F a c u l t y

C O N T I N U E D O N N E X T PA G E

6 • 25 OCTOBRE 2011 • QN

Given her passionate commitment to principles, it is only naturalthat Alex provoked strong reactions. I once had lunch with some-one who Alex fought against. Her successful advocacy had costhim a lot of money and time. While the mere mention of hername raised his temperature, his respect for her talent and com-mitment lowered mine. A glance at Facebook this week tells usthat this story is not unique. The profound respect from her op-ponents speaks to her strength of character.

Strangely, though, my own experiences with Alex rarely involvedher political side. Rather, I knew her as a friend with whom I hadthe best of times, but never, until now, the worst of times (andthis is not her fault). Unlike some lefties, and many lawyers, shewas serious about her ideals without taking herself too seriously.In short, she was a blast.

No time was this more obvious than the first time I met her. Ourevening started out at a reception at the Law Faculty called Cof-feehouse. Alex rarely, if ever, missed this. After the reception, wewent out to a restaurant where Alex and one of our friends pro-ceeded to argue vigorously about politics. The two of us observ-ing this were unsure if she and our friend would ever speakagain. However, the evening ended with a bottle of wine on mybalcony after which Alex and her debating partner snuck into theneighbour’s pool for a swim. It may seem odd to remembersomeone because she liked to party. But the Alex I knew was, ather core, whimsical. It tempered her political side and furtherendeared her to those of us who didn’t always agree with her.

Alex loved to travel. When we lived in Paris at the same time shewould drag me along to look for Serge Gainsbourg’s house, ex-

otic mustard, hipster bars, and whatever else struck her fancy.During this time, seven of us went to Barcelona. When welanded, Alex introduced us to a friend that she had madethrough her political days in Toronto. He happened to be theeconomic advisor to the President of Catalonia. ThroughBarcelona we traipsed eating tapas as we went. One night endedin gleeful joy because Alex demanded we frolic in a playgroundreserved for children on the beach. The locals, needless to say,did not approve. Even confined to, in her view, provincial Ot-tawa, Alex explored the world. She hosted numerous CouchSurfers from France and scoured for conferences that wouldallow her to travel.

I was in New York last weekend. While there, I went to OccupyWall Street. It was an impressive piece of political action and the-atre. The event had a serious message about inequality that wasdelivered in a whimsical way. My final SMS ever to Alex was “youwould love this, wish you were here.” Today, I feel this ever morestrongly.

This tale ends tragically. Alex was taken from us by a senseless,and very likely criminal, act. We must be as relentless in fightingfor justice for her, as she was in fighting for justice for others. Wemust not let her death extinguish her passion. We must continueher work to bring equality to everyone and justice to those whotry to escape it – including the 43rd President of the UnitedStates.

Thanks for the fight and the fun, friend. I am so very sad you aregone.

DAN HARRIS

Member of Parliament for Scarborough Southwest

STATEMENT ON ALEXANDRA DODGER (PRESENTED IN PARLIAMENT)

Monday, October 17, 2011

Mr. Speaker, today I rise with a heavy heart to remember the lifeof a friend whose journey was tragically cut short this past Satur-day at the age of 27. Alexandra Dodger was killed after beingstruck by a car near her home in Ottawa.

Alex was an extraordinary woman who was passionate about lifeand was determined to improve the lives of those around her.She cared deeply about giving a voice to the voiceless. Alex hadjust graduated from law school at McGill earlier this year andstarted a promising career with Amnesty International. Alex ded-icated so much of her time to many causes, one of which was

the Ontario New Democratic Youth, where I had the pleasure ofworking with her and where we became friends. There is nodoubt in my mind that Alex was destined to do great things andwas going to bring forth positive change.

I will cherish our time spent together and miss all the times thatwe will never have. On behalf of myself, Her Majesty's loyal op-position and all our staff, many who knew Alex well, I would liketo extend our deep and sincere condolences to Alex's family,friends and colleagues, but especially to her mother and grand-mother who must now endure what no parent or grandparentshould have to.

See the video at http://danharris.ca/videos

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P R E V I O U S PA G E

QN • OCTOBER 25 2011 • 7

Alex,

You were unique and one of a kind. Big shades and afunny pale face. I close my eyes and remember usdancing and laughing. I hadn’t seen you in such along time! You off in Paris, Brussels, the Hague (“with your cheapairlines and European cities at your fingertips”) and me in Asia(lost with a backpack). I remember you sending me messagesabout my Mongolian adventures, encouraging me to see theworld (especially the -stanz...) and to find my place. Rest as-sured, I wanted to tell you that I feel like I am getting closer to it,that I am slowly figuring out what you helped me realize: I canmake a difference in people’s lives. I am so sorry I didn’t see youthe other day when you came to Montreal; I thought we wouldhave so many other times to see each other. I was stressingabout things that I now realize don’t matter.

I wanted to tell you how proud I was to see you working atAmnesty, seeing someone finally brave enough to do what theylove - no compromise. I was looking forward to George W. Bush’s

face when you arrested him (I don’t think anyoneelse in Canada would have the guts to do somethinglike that!). There were so many things that I was look-ing forward to seeing you do!

I remember one of the last things you told me: the glory days arejust beginning, keep having fun. I have been thinking about thatfor the past couple of weeks... I won’t forget.

Thank you for helping me, supporting me, and being that specialadvisor I always need and counted on. I will make crepes thisSunday for you, so I can remember our brunch.

I will miss you a lot.

Your “little” Alexp.s. Thanks for never debating me, and being gentle, I was al-ways scared of the moment I would have to face off with you inan argument.

Photo by Charlie Feldman

ALEXSHEE

B C L / L L B ’ 1 1

Alex with fellow class of '11 students Scott Scambler,Bryana Jensen, and Faizel Gulamhussein

8 • 25 OCTOBRE 2011 • QN

Photos by Charlie Feldman

Left, Alex with BCL/LLBclass of '10 graduateNatai Shelsen at the2010 Grad Ball

"Always festive and in the spirit, here's Alex asseen at a Halloween Coffeehouse"

The extent of my knowledge of Alex was from across the SAOcounter. Now that I have learned more about her I hope shemight have considered the counter somewhat of a wall.

I was always happy to see her smiling face, and she was alwayspleasant and interestingly attired. Over the past few days, afterreading some of the notes posted on the faculty's website, at-tending the memorial, and spending time with her friends after-wards, I have developed a greater understanding and

appreciation for her commitment to her friends, family, and toall via her passion for social justice.

I am saddened that I did not have the opportunity to betterknow this quirky brilliant person, or is it brilliantly quirky person,for I have missed out on a chance to share her passion and learnfrom her. I am also certain, like many, that I would have consid-ered her a cherished friend. Alex, for the chance missed, myapologies.

THOMASCHALMERS

SAO

ALEXANDRA DODGERA SAD GOODBYE AND AN OPPORTUNITY MISSED.

QN • OCTOBER 25 2011 • 9

I wake to the sun’s glint reflecting off the earthentiles from the russet brick block adjacent. A clanging,rhythmic melody chimes from across the room. “InDecember drinking horchata, I'd look psychotic in abalaclava. Winter's cold, it's too much to handle,pincher crabs that pinch at your sandals. Whoa ohhohh.” Half-dazed, wiping out the bleariness of anevening too well spent, I shoot a squint across theroom. There, resplendent, achingly graceful, she an-gles a wry grin. “Hey, sleepyhead” she chuckles. “Iknow it’s not December, but we’ve got horchata”, shebeams, girlishly swaying and humming in thewarmth. She’d picked up breakfast, and was savour-ing the balm of our tan-coloured flat in medievalBarcelona.

I’ve been waking to these images of Alex over thepast few mornings, half-expecting her to appear.They’re fleeting, yet vivid. An uncorked bottle ofwhite in hand, a billowing dress, a silver locket sway-ing. I see her straw-coloured hair. I hear her drychuckle. Her eyes roll. Her silver earrings danglewildly. Her nose twitches. She’s about to waltz on in,muttering about the most absurd encounter on thestreet. And, of course, searing on her lips, a storyshe’s burning to tell.

There’s so much anguish in reaching for words to ex-plain the inexplicable. And so we’re left with wornimages and impressions of an imperfect memory.Yet, anyone who met Alex couldn’t help but take noteof this unearthly force within her.

When I first met Alex on the back terrasse of aPlateau drinking well, she began our relationship byexpounding with didactic exactitude on the unassail-able tenets of the student movement and collectiveaction. Somehow she’d found out that, in a past life, Iwas involved in student politics and queer activism.That was enough, that was her cue. And, as neurotic

as she first appeared, I, like everyone else who mether as we began our lives in Montreal, was left withthe unshakable feeling that we’d met a force of na-ture.

Alex’s speaking out gave courage to others to speakout. She pushed back on the genteel norms of theacademy, and refused to compromise her frank self.And despite this irreverence for polite society, shehad a preternatural ability to marshal fact and argu-ment. In a law faculty that tells women, perhaps notexplicitly, but implicitly, to sit down and shut up, shewould go punch for punch with the smuggest de-baters. She spoke with convincing passion about fos-tering a more egalitarian world, namely because sheunderstood firsthand, with intimate and agonizingdetail, the insidious ways our society perpetuates so-cial inequality, under the guise of meritocracy.

Yet, what’s strange is that as much as I admired hersocial activism, its rigour, force and compassion, itwas Alex’s insatiable hunger for the world around herthat drew me in. She saw the world through areimagined lens, with equal parts whimsy and adven-ture. Being with her felt like communing with theworld at some heightened level, convention aban-doned. A moment, a place, a thought, all looked dif-ferent with Alex by your side because everythingsomehow seemed possible, it all seemed so alive.And so my heart breaks and yearns, for all those al-leyways not trodden on, those amaretto and cokesnot drunk, those jeggings and skirt combos not worn,but especially with anguish, those other worlds notdreamed of.

Those lips and teeth that asked how my day wentAre shouting up through cracks in the pavement

Here comes a feeling you thought you'd forgottenChairs to sit and sidewalks to walk on

GREGORYKO

YES, IT IS BREAD WE FIGHT FOR,BUT WE FIGHT FOR ROSES TOO

Here and elsewhere, you will hear frompeople who want to admire Alex Dodger'sfearlessness, laud her audacity and com-memorate her fierce societal engage-ment. Me, I want to do what I've alwaysdone: make fun of her.

It is not hard to make fun of Alex. Her fin-ger-pointing-kissy-face dance, deployed atthe slightest hint of Jarvis Cocker or the1980s, was a favourite target. Her re-peated smuggling of bottles of diet-pepsi-and-amaretto (possibly the vilestsubstance in the known universe) into anytype of school event was another. Whenshe moved from one apartment to an-other, I made fun of her for the 30garbage bags full of clothes we had tohaul into and out of the van. When shepainted her apartment an eye-searingpurple, I made fun of her for both thecolour, and the fact that she had onlybought mini-rollers to paint the entireapartment (I regained the use of my armtwo weeks later). At any karaoke-relatedevent – and many karaoke-unrelatedevents – I made fun of her for her singing,as indeed before I met her I never knewthe "Doo doodoodoos" in "Hungry Like AWolf" could be given that. much. empha-sis. I made fun of her for bringing abolt-cutter to school to steal back her bike(it had been stolen from her only days be-fore), and then leaving an article from theCivil Code of Quebec to justify the repos-session.

Even her political beliefs and engage-ments were, for an apolitical milquetoastnon-participant like myself, something tomake fun of her for. I bugged Alex abouther image as a political firebrand, turningevery minor complaint she made into a

pseudo-revolutionary epic cry for freedom(STUDENTS, THROW OFF THE BREADEDSHACKLES OF THIS GREASOFASCIST CAFE-TERIA). I made fun of her take-no-prison-ers approach, which she applied liberallyto situations ranging from broadsocial injustice to restaurant choices shedid not agree with. I needled her con-stantly about the NDP, the CFS, and all theother organizations that she supportedthroughout the years.

I loved making fun of Alex Dodger for allthese things, because whether I was bug-ging her about her dancing or her moststrongly held beliefs, the reaction wouldalways be the same. She'd smile, sheep-ishly. She'd roll her eyes. She'd shrug hershoulders. And she'd say "What can Isay?" And then, of course, she'd make funof me right back (there's no shortage ofmaterial).

Making fun of Alex was fun because shewas so good at making making fun fun.I’ve seen firebrand-Alex in action (terrify-ing), but to me, dork that I am, even ourloudest debates were always cut with agenerous dose of goofiness, self-awarecharm, and digressive whimsy. Alex couldwield an iron fist when she wanted to, butit always had on purple sparkle nail polish.I have never known someone who was socommitted to her beliefs, but at the sametime so willing to laugh at herself, and tojust laugh in general.

That's over now. I still really want to makefun of Alex, because that's what we did,and that's how I clumsily articulated myadmiration to her. But her response, thatsheepish-smile-and-shrug, exists now onlyas a memory. And though I hope thememories of her will be able to last methrough the years to come, it's just notthe same without that – without her,there, laughing at herself, laughing at me,and just, you know, laughing. That's whathurts the most.

Alex was so many things to so many peo-ple, and did so much in her short, shortlife. You should read every one of thethings written about her since her deathfrom all the insightful and engaged peopleshe impacted. You should talk to all herfriends to see all that she was, and youshould think about it, and appreciate it,and take what you can from it into the fu-ture she no longer gets to share with us. Ithink, in time, I'll do that too. But for now,I just sit here wishing I could tell one morestupid joke, and get one more knowingsmile.

10 • 25 OCTOBRE 2011 • QN

MIKELOCKNER

B C L / L L B ’ 1 1

ALEX (1983-2011)

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It is very difficult to write on the death ofone’s student. A sense of generational obli-gation and affection makes it especiallyhard. The event is unnatural, a reversal ofthe order of time. Even those of us not farin age or temperament from our students,because of our position feel responsible,proud, hopeful of what they will make ofthemselves and of whatever may havetaught them. Alexandra was my student inthe very first class that I taught at McGill.She was smart and she was witty and out-spoken and wise. I feel her loss terribly, forwhat she gave and what she would havegiven all of us.

VICTOR M.MUNIZ-

FRATICELLI

Faculty

LAEKAREZA

Bright. Articulate. Feisty. Socially aware. Fun. Beautiful. Thosewere my first impressions of Alex when we met in Paris in Octo-ber 2010. What started as just a tea among four McGillersturned into a ten hour adventure filled with meaning, laughter,deep conversation and fascinating stories. Alex talked about herfamily, her challenging road to law school, and the unexpected“finds” she made along the way. I immediately knew she wasdestined for greatness. I am overwhelmed with sadness that ourfriendship has been cut short. Her death is senseless, and ourgrief is profound. I will always remember her and be inspired byher amazing spirit, intrepid nature and passion for justice.

TRIBUTE

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I would like to pay my respects as I spoke toAlex over email just a month before shepassed. Even though our conversation wasshort, Alex was very personable despite herobvious stressful state while articling in Ot-tawa. I remember her smile and only foundout later that we had similar social con-cerns. I send my condolences to her family.

Rest in peace Alex, you did your job here.

BCL/LLB Candidate 2011

12 • 25 OCTOBRE 2011 • QN

In Family Law, in Fall 2009, Alex—I knew her as MsDodger—used to sit in the first or second row of the bankof seats to my left in the Moot Court. Each time I teachFamily Law, I am blessed to have a handful of students whoare especially articulate, even outspoken, in class, who askpenetrating questions and make no bones about their see-ing injustice and absurdity in the way law deals with fami-lies. Alex was foremost among them that year. Her shortpaper, which I have just reread, took the course pack’s Lawand Economics reading to task for its assumptions’ unreal-ity in the face of the abiding structural subordination expe-rienced by many women. I don’t mean to imply for amoment that one’s level of outwardly visible engagement,or one’s rigorous articulateness, in Family Law provides anykind of index for the grief occasioned by the loss of a younglife. That was simply how Alexandra Dodger’s path crossedmine during her years at the Faculty of Law.

In the short time since the terrible news, the tributes paidto her by others have led me to think that the sharp pas-sion I was lucky enough to witness in Alex was typical ofher way of being in the world. I am grateful for the threemonths we occupied a classroom together.

I cannot begin to fathomthe sense of grief that hermother, her grandmother,and others who knew herwell must be feeling.

ROBERTLECKEY

I was so sad and shocked to hear about Alexandra's death.She took my Canadian Legal History course in fall 2009 andI was immediately endeared by the way she made friendsby asking other students to be accountable for those kindof throwaway comments that hang in seminar air like a badsmell. She dove into a fabulous paper about Dorothea Pal-mer, an Ottawa nurse who was charged with distributinginformation about contraceptives promoting birth controlto housewives in 1930's Eastview, which led to the storiedEastview Birth Control Trial. I hope she got it published, Iknow she was working on that, she had a way of telling thestory that made the characters and conflicts come alive.Alexandra was a gifted writer, I still use the paper as amodel of legal history writing. I felt great courage when Iunderstood how despite difficult health she lived life fully:I'd run into her in the randomest places, like when I lookedup to see her sitting across from me in a half-lit bedouin-style cloth tent sent up as a soundbox for a CKUT fundrai-ser in a church on Ste. Catherine Street. With her heartfeltconvictions and compassion I was sure I'd be reading abouther in the paper, not as I did on Monday. As a fellow trave-ler and a friend I feel lucky to have had the chance to walkthe same path with her for a while and wish she were still

here clearing the air,being what it is to live alife without regrets.

Best, Tina

TINAPIPER

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Top – Vlad Glebov, Walied Khogali. Bottom – Shaila Kibria, Alex Carter, Alex Artful-Dodger

QN • OCTOBER 25 2011 • 13

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While it's true Alex could often be found at coffeehouse, she couldalso often be found making funny faces when asked to pose for apicture. Pictured: Alex and a glass of wine, alongside fellow class of'11 Graduate Charlie Feldman and 4L Jonathan Katz

My dearest Alexandra,

Words can only begin to express how appreciative I am of the last 5years that we spent so closely together. Loved by countless peopleand enchanting so many others, I am eternally grateful that youelected to have me as one of your closest friends in law school andthereafter.

If roles were reversed, Alex, I know that you would speak with greateloquence of our many adventures, our journey through law schooltogether, of our lasting friendship through your many travels, of themany laughs we shared, but also of the tears we shed in the mo-ments we faced hardship.

I don’t believe I will be able to share these stories with your friendsand colleagues at this time, as I am stricken with paralysing grief.However, please know how honoured I feel to have been your ac-complice and friend for these last few years, and that I am incon-solable as a result of having lost you so suddenly.

Alex, I will miss your brilliance, your kindness, your zeal,your lust for life, and most importantly, your courage.You were a principled activist, a strong feminist, and youundoubtedly would have become an unassailable oppo-nent in the courtroom.

I would like to take this occasion to briefly cite one ofyour favourite authors, Milan Kundera, author of the Un-bearable Lightness of Being: “Without realizing it, the in-dividual composes his life according to the laws ofbeauty even in times of greatest distress.”

I believe what Kundera meant was that we must makebeautiful form out of this tragic, senseless incident andcontinue to strive for the principles Alex so ardently de-fended.

Je t’aime ma belle et tu me manques déjà beaucouptrop.

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CÉLIA JUTRAS

B C L / L L B ’ 1 1

REMEMBERINGALEXANDRA DODGER

(1983-2011)

Alex and Célia Jutras at the 2010 Grad Ball.

14 • 25 OCTOBRE 2011 • QN

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rWhen I first met Alex in our Public InternationalLaw class at McGill, I thought it unlikely that wewould eventually become good friends. Not be-cause I did not like her or disagreed with her,but rather because I thought she was out of myleague! I was really impressed by her ease andconfidence in the classroom, and kept wonder-ing how she knew it all and could express her-self so eloquently. It was only a year later, aswe kept showing up for the same classes andgoing to the same events that we actuallystarted talking to each other. I discovered thatwe shared similar interests and concerns aboutthe Middle East, and that I could learn a lotfrom her.

One thing leading to another, the followingsummer Alex took me out to some of her fa-vorite spots in Toronto, and, while we wereboth in Europe during the fall, she invited me tostay with her in Paris for several days. That iswhere I had some of the best times with Alex:doing a photo shoot with friends on Les

Champs-Élysées; climbing the Eiffel Tower in asnow storm; and trying on perfumes at ArabianOud. Paris is also where I discovered Alex’s lovefor Star Trek and Jean-Luc Picard, as well as forSerge Gainsbourg and his melodies. As you cansee, Alex was multi-faceted and never, ever bor-ing.

For me, she was both a caring and generousfriend and a constant source of inspiration. Shewas strong and determined, yet humane and at-tentive. She was engaged in many differentthings, and yet I feel like she gave them all ahundred percent of her ability and commit-ment. I feel privileged to have known Alex andto have shared those moments with her. Thelaughs, the serious conversations, all of it!

I will, like many others, miss her dearly. But Iknow that her spirit will live on as we remem-ber her and keep being inspired by her dedica-tion and passion for life and for many causes.

SOPHIEROY-LAFLEUR

B C L / L L B ’ 1 1

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It feels very strange to be writing this. Iwant to write about the way I knew Alex,and that was through organizing with herat law school.

Alex put the rad in Radlaw. A couple ofyears ago, there were about 50 peoplemilling around the atrium, and we weretrying to pull the last few things togetherto launch Palestinian Human Rights Week.

Seeing the crowd, Alex turned to me andsaid, “I really think you should just go tothe SAO and get the microphone.” But bythe time I got back, she had a better plan.She got Dina to climb up on a table tomake the opening remarks. Without adoubt, she was solutions-oriented.

Alex Dodger was a ‘doer’. I loved thatabout her. She was someone who showedup at 7 pm on a snowy Tuesday from an-other event across town to make sure thatall the photos were up in time for the nextday’s vernissage. She was someone who

showed solidarity with her classmates,never afraid to take someone on in theQuid or elsewhere. She was committed tointernational solidarity movements, andmade links between local and global sys-tems of power with rigour and passion.And she did so all the time.

You might not always agree with Alex, butyou certainly respected her. She was awoman with solid arguments. And her ar-guments were meant to change yourmind, to open it up with possibilities ofsocial change. She backed her convictionswith her life choices.

She was a hard worker, the kind of personthat we knew we’d hear about as shelaunched herself into social justice lawyer-ing. Landing an articling job with AmnestyInternational was a perfect fit for Alex.After all, she’d been at this stuff for years.They have lost one amazing articling stu-dent.

Alex was both small p and capital P politi-cal. She spoke out to defend a woman’sright to choose. She cared about themake-up of her campus community. Sheorganized to ensure that the educationalinstitutions where she thrived would beaccessible to those coming without theprivilege of parental financial support.

Alex also cared about the rights of work-ers. One of her last Facebook updates wasto her good friend and classmate RachelGotthilf, posting a video of a MUNACAworker getting arrested for disrupting thehomecoming events here last week. Wejoked through sadness about how she’dhave been mad if we crossed a picket lineto remember her.

Alex was someone who wore her politicalstripes on her sleeve, and boldly chal-lenged those around her to live their val-ues.

I, like so many, will miss her.

KATRINAPEDDLE REMEMBERING ALEX

16 • 25 OCTOBRE 2011 • QN

There’s no shortage of activists who fail topersuade others because they don’t seempersuaded themselves. They show up torallies and carry placards, but it’s tough toshake the feeling that, for too many ofthem, these gestures are a way to makefriends or form identities. That was notAlex. She would never be so crass.

Alex was the most elegant bullshit detec-tor I have ever encountered. When trigge-red —a regular occurrence—she servedup an orderly set of propositions, pairedthem with practical examples, and delive-red it all with self-possession. It’s not thatshe never went out on a limb. Part ofwhat made arguing with her so fun washer ability to weave in and out of comfor-table territory without ever losing herthread. She was driven to persuade bothby a clear set of goals and a genuine en-joyment of the discussion process. Yes,Alex could sometimes sound like a truebeliever. But even at her most stubbornshe was not pedantic. For how much shehad to say and the breadth of topics dearto her, it was hard to find wasted words.Alex was compelling in part because shedidn’t seem interested in the horserace ofpolitics, but rather in the promise of herideals. Fairness, basically, moved her. Theeffect was impossible to dismiss out ofhand, even if you ultimately disagreedwith her.

Alex taught me several things. She taughtme that a direct, earnest manner is prefe-rable to the posturing taken up by once-precocious teenagers who’ve yet tomature into careful thinkers. She put itwell, I thought: “Stefan, you can’t just sitback and lob grenades into arguments. It’sannoying.” She was right. She also taughtme about bread and roses – the idea,

roughly, that our obligations to each otherextend well beyond the subsistence level.That a firm belief in the immutability ofhuman dignity entails a robust commit-ment to social justice. Social justice, a no-toriously fuzzy notion for most of us,seemed straightforward to Alex: whateverprevented others from enjoying the full-ness of life was an obstacle that neededto be removed. Although my own unders-tanding of social justice remains fuzzy, Iwill never again make excuses for thosetoo selfish or cynical to be moved by ourmany failures to fully respect human di-gnity. In no small way, I have Alex to thankfor that.

More so than anyone I’d met before orsince, Alex knew how to make the politicalpersonal. For me, this was largely becausewe came from similar working-class immi-grant backgrounds. We differed in partbecause at some point I decided to actand speak like people very much not likeme, finding it easier to obscure the limita-tions in myself than to confront head-onthe conditions that kept those limitationsin place for others. Alex chose not to dothat, and that’s what so many of us meanwhen we call her courageous. And be-cause I never questioned her motives, shewas one of the few people to whom I en-joyed losing an argument. That was thedraw of her persistence: if Alex’s visionwere realized, we would enjoy a more li-vable, equitable, and beautiful society.Many of us thought her vision was desira-ble. But to many it didn’t seem possible.So I’m grateful for how hard Alex workedto convince us that much of what seemsinevitable, and somehow just, is correcta-ble, and in fact mostly arbitrary. I regretthat at some point a foolish combinationof my pride or immaturity got in the way,and we stopped arguing.

And then there was, as one friend put it,Alex the karaoke singer. We would not re-member Alex as we do if her interests

were restricted to politics. Anyone whoever sampled her mulled wine or barszcz,was cut down by her incisive wit, orstayed until last call with her at Bifteck,knows that above all she was a bonne vi-vante. Even at play she stood apart fromher peers. Whereas many freewheelingstudents take their cues from the Green-wich Village in the ‘60s, Alex was muchmore Harlem in the ‘20s. She wore redlipstick and tied bows to anything thatcould be made more festive.

Alex also didn’t openly fret about thethings that hobble so many law students.Grades and jobs hardly came up. Not be-cause she lacked ambition. Her ambitionwas just directed elsewhere. I looked for-ward to watching her succeed because Iknew that she would do it on her ownterms, or not at all. Crucially, Alex wasbound to do much more than deliver can-ned speeches to college crowds. Her workwas substantive and transformative. If shemade it, it would be because she partedsome sea on her way there. Alex wasamong a handful of peers that seemeddestined to inspire I-knew-her-when sto-ries. I was sure that I’d be reading abouther in the press, but I never imagined itwould be under these circumstances. Herdeath was senseless and violent, the com-plete antithesis of her life’s work.

* * *

In the days since I found out about herdeath, I’ve remembered Alex as she wasthe day I met her. That day, in Septemberof 2007, a small group of us ended up ona friend’s rooftop terrace. Amid the bois-terous discussions that first year law stu-dents share before they learn how littlethey know, we noticed a neighbour’sswimming pool, and a fence that didn’tseem so high. Alex and I climbed down tothe yard, scaled the fence, and went for aquick, illicit swim. We laughed the wholetime, and no one got hurt.

STEFANSZPAJDA

B.C.L./LL.B. ‘10

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Photo by Christopher Rompré

I only admired Alexandra Dodger from a distance,never having had the chance to get to know her, butI feel lucky in having gotten just a glimpse of the en-ergy and dedication of this remarkable person. InDecember of my first year I was working in the com-puter lab and took some scrap paper from the recy-cling to write some notes on. The printed side wasa cover letter. Out of curiosity (but perhaps improp-erly), I read it. In it, the author described her pas-sion for human rights, her work with immigrants,her dedication to social justice. I was so taken notonly by the work that this person had done, but es-pecially by the sincerity and absolute commitmentthat was so apparent in it. I was intrigued and in-spired by this person, the unknown but quite amaz-ing Alexandra Dodger. Over the last two years Icontinued to see Alexandra’s involvement in variousprojects, and the way in which her action was trueto her word. That kind of dedication is somethingto hold close, I think. I can’t really know what thoseof you close to her lost, but my thoughts and heartare with you.

ADELAMACIEJEWSKI

SCHEER

L a w I I I

SAO

The Student Affairs Office wouldlike to express its sincere condo-lences to Alex's friends and familyin this difficult time. Alex was adetermined, focused student whocontributed a great deal to theMcGill Law community. Her re-markable energy and enthusiasmwill be missed.

1) Quelle est pour vous la définition d’une carrièreen défense de l’intérêt public?

A career in the public interest is one that I would de-fine as using your legal education and skills towardsthe pursuit of justice for persons or groups that areoften marginalized in society. It’s about using law asa tool to shift the balance of power – giving help tothe powerless when they are faced with powerfulopponents. I don’t think it necessarily has to takeplace in the context of an NGO. However, I also thinkthat we should be careful before labeling entirefields of law – such as environmental law or aborigi-nal law – as public interest law; you can specialize inthose fields without necessarily advancing or sup-porting the cause of marginalized groups.

2) Quel a été votre parcours académique et pro-fessionnel?

Prior to studying law at McGill, I did my bachelorsand graduate studies in History at the University ofToronto and McMaster University. When I moved toMontreal in 2007, I initially envisioned myself even-tually moving back to Toronto to work in some kindof social justice capacity. However, the many en-counters I had with my well-travelled classmates andprofessors convinced me that international work –something I had long dreamt of but was uncertainabout realizing – was a real possibility. I tried to takecourses, internships and extracurricular opportuni-ties in internationally related fields. I will be articlingin 2011-2012 with Amnesty International Canada,and hope to find a rewarding and interesting careerbalance that allows me to work abroad while retai-ning ties to Canada, while continuing to be engagedin the public interest.

3) En quoi votre travail actuel défend-t-il l’intérêtpublic?

My two most recent employment experiences in thepublic interest were working at Legal Aid Ontarioand the International Criminal Tribunal for the For-mer Yugoslavia.

LAO’s clients are low income Ontarians seeking legalassistance in a range of matters. Specifically, stu-dents in my office assisted refugee claimants, per-sons charged with criminal offenses, and parents atrisk of losing custody of their children. Our clientsoften came from precarious situations – unemploy-ment, poverty, substance abuse. The legal aid sys-tem needs more lawyers who are comfortableworking with these client groups, and can treat themwith respect. While the work can be challenging, it isnever dull and the impact on client’s situations istangible.

The ICTY seeks justice for the victims of war crimesand crimes against humanity in the former Yugosla-via. While working in a UN Tribunal in The Hague canseem disconnected from the lives of survivors in Sa-rajevo or Belgrade, the work is important and de-pends on many legal interns to function. The ICTYseeks to end impunity for war crimes, and internshave the capacity to play a major role in the casesthey work on.

4) Quels conseils donneriez-vous à des étudiantsde droit intéressés à travailler dans le domaine de ladéfense de l’intérêt public?

Your best resource at McGill is probably your class-mates and upper year students – applying wherethey have worked in the past. Unfortunately, al-though McGill offers some excellent internship andresearch opportunities, they are very competitive toget and often not widely advertised. Every job andinternship I had, I had to coordinate on my own.Classmates I didn’t know well were surprisinglyforthcoming and supportive when I asked for appli-cation advice, and I recommend approaching anyoneyou can to let them know about your goals. Thisgoes for funding as well – you may need to considertaking out a private line of credit from the bank ifMcGill doesn’t offer you any financial support.

ALEXANDRADODGER

18 • 25 OCTOBRE 2011 • QN

GUIDE-CARRIÈRES EN INTÉRÊT PUBLIC TéMOIGNAGE D’ALEX

Editor’s Note: the Career Development Office passes on this piece, in whichAlex gives advice on working in the public interest field.

QN • OCTOBER 25 2011 • 19

What becomes immediately clear in the past hours since wehave learned of Alex Dodger’s sudden, tragic death was just howmuch she was admired, adored, loved, and needed by thisworld. What a huge loss of such a brilliant and talented woman.There is no way to adequately capture people’s collective grief,but hopefully we can celebrate her amazing life together by re-miniscing on her legacy and continuing the daily battle she ledfor a more just and giving world. When it comes to Alex, onething stands out: she had incisive, brilliant, and shrewd insightson any topic that came up. I have not met a person before orsince who could think so quickly on their feet and come up withthe best solutions, tactics, and insight, or someone with such asophisticated and immediate understanding of things, events,personalities, and politics. And what a presence Alex was in thestudent movement! I have an image of her at Canadian Federa-tion of Students bounding up to the microphone – poised andfearless – before diving into an invariably articulate, feisty, intelli-gent, and poignant commentary. I also have a more recent imageof a young woman at the height of her brilliance, about to em-bark on a law career. Between these two images alone, we havea lifetime of memories. Leaving the last words for Alex, from oneof her many admirers: thinking of your memory, we see the bril-liant, amazing, fearless, perceptive, intelligent, tireless, commit-ted, and witty woman, activist, student, friend, advocate, andvisionary you are and the huge amount you achieved in a life-time devoted to social justice.

MARGARETCARLYLE

THOUGHTS ONALEX DODGER

P h . D . S t u d e n t / H i s t o r y, M c G i l U n i v e r s i t y

ANONYMOUS Without hesitation, my fondest law school me-mories directly involve Alex Dodger. An ardenthuman rights defender and champion of progres-sive causes, it was refreshing to have a spiritedally at the faculty and such a refreshingly wittyfriend to share memories with, learn from, anduplift those around you with endless laughter.Alex masterfully articulated her points of view,and always knew how to keep professors on theirtoes with sheer poise, confidence and class. Anaccomplished mooter and debater, the real suc-cess of Alex’s life was the way she inspired andmoved people to make a change. She was more

than a great human being, she was the friendthat everyone has ever wanted, but rarely get thechance to meet. She cherished her friends somuch; one could always rely on her to give a hel-ping hand. When I was at a crossroads, seriouslycontemplating abandoning a legal career and thelaw faculty, I found a friend in Alex who pushedme to forge ahead and think about the work thatI could do for my community. She gave toughlove, but would never give up on a friend. Shedidn’t give up on me and I am eternally grateful.We won’t let her memory die.

20 • 25 OCTOBRE 2011 • QN

On the right, Charlie and Alex, two Class of'11 graduates, on the left: Two Frenchtourists in Ottawa Alex bet and befriended.As Charlie explained: "I went to meet upwith Bryana in Ottawa this August and sheinvited other folks and it eventually turnedinto a karaoke party with some CourtClerks and strangers, and our fellow Classof '11 graduate Max Reed. I wasn't readyfor just how passionate Alex would be withher karaoke stylings. Even though we dis-agreed on politics, you’d never know fromthe way we sang together in harmony. Ilove that she had no qualms about beltinga terrible Spice Girls song and then rightafter going in on some serious classic rock.She was always down, and I think that'swhat people love about her. Indeed, shesomehow had two French tourists with her- I'm still not sure what the story was - butthey were having a blast in her companyand she was doing her best to keep every-one smiling and singing.'

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On the right, Alex as spotted in her usual state - lov-ing life - at the 2009 Law Partner Lunch. From leftto right: Class of 2011 graduates MikeLockner,Martin LeBlanc-Rioux, Gregory Ko, Alex, and cur-rent 3L Krista Kais-Prial.

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Alexandra was my student in Public International Law. I alsoknew her as coach of the Jessup International Moot and her in-ternship with the UN Tribunal for Yugoslavia in The Hague. Shewas a thoughtful and brilliant student who had a deep commit-ment to using her education to further human rights. In hershort time in our midst she was an example of dedication and so-cial responsibility to her peers. I am devastated by her loss andoffer heartfelt condolences and prayers for her and her grievingfamily.

PAYAMAKHAVAN

Faculty

QN • OCTOBER 25 2011 • 21

ANDREWDEAK

B.C.L./LL.B. ‘11

FOR ALEX, FACTUM PARTNER, DANCEPARTNER, AND DEAR FRIEND

I first met Alex in my constitutional lawclass. She made her mark quickly with herincisive comments on the Charter, accessto justice, systemic inequality, and wo-men’s rights. If there was oppression, Alexwas there to say something about it. I sha-red much of Alex’s analysis, and when Ididn’t, she was pretty quick to convinceme otherwise. Her voice was clear anduncompromising. I felt much better ha-ving her around. I was too scared tocontribute in first-year, in those large andintimidating class settings where youdon’t know how people might judge you.Alex appeared fearless. She was my heroin Constitutional Law, and then in Civil Evi-dence, and Immigration and Refugee Law.I was always in awe of how she couldcome up with questions and comments soquickly and articulately.

I later got to know Alex in the context ofstudent organizing, particularly throughRadLaw and the occasional NDP-McGillevent. I always looked up to her. The noiseof corporate job opportunities knockingon the doors of the faculty can so easilydrown out the other possibilities to pur-sue the path of public interest. Alex neverforgot why she went to law school, andshe was blazing her way to a career in so-cial justice. She never waivered, inces-santly fighting the good fight. Having justcome from a memorial at U of T, I nowrealize that she was probably operating atabout 20% at McGill. The McGill adminis-tration and the LSA should count them-selves lucky that they did not feel the fullwrath of Alexandra Dodger!

Early in second year I approached her tosee if she wanted to moot together.Luckily for me, she immediately respon-

ded with an unreserved ‘Yes! Lets do it!’ Iwas so excited to be able to moot withsuch an excellent advocate, and someonewho saw the world as I did. Working clo-sely with Alex on our factum I got to knowher a little better. She was, to my surprise,an anxious and erratic worker at times.She also revealed that she too got ner-vous before speaking publicly. She wasalso quirky. I thought, “If she can be so onthe ball, so sharp, and so committed whilealso being sometimes anxious, erratic ner-vous and always her quirky self, then socould I!” These human traits also madeAlex that much more likable. In fact, muchof my first year was about losing my confi-dence; in second year, Alex helped me toregain a sense purpose and self-belief,and to find my own voice. I loved mymooting experience, and I owe that toAlex.

The rigmarole of the second year mootsolidified our friendship. The factum hasbeen known to ruin relationships. For Alexand I, it was a foundational moment. Wejoked about how perfect it would be forus to set up a boutique law firm together:‘Deak and Dodger LLP’. How could we notwith two last names that were asking tobe side-by-side? Alex would later call meto go out for impromptu nights on thetown she loved so much, Montreal. Shewas enamored with the city, and knewhow to let go and have a great time. Mybest night of dancing was with Alex, at asmall club on St. Laurent, where wemoved our bodies to 80s music until thebartenders kicked us out.

I went to Paris for a summer of third year,and Alex came to stay with me just beforemoving there herself for an internship.

Like Montreal, Paris also won Alex’s heart.She brought her Dutch bike with her fromThe Hague. I told her she’d have troublegetting her bike on the Thalys train andthen through the Paris metro, but my war-nings did not stop her from negotiating aclear path for her and her bike to myapartment. Dutch and French transportauthorities were no match for Alex’s de-termination.

For the last year or so we had mostlybeen in different cities. Yet she was soeasy to keep in touch with, constantlymessaging and posting articles and com-mentary on Facebook. Now the lack ofher updates in my news feed is alreadypainfully noticeable. I saw her only twoweeks ago while she was in Montreal. Shetold us that she was documenting how Sy-rian government repression was reachingSyrians in Canada, and that she was wor-king on having former president Bush ar-rested for war crimes. She seemed happy.Like she had found her place at AmnestyInternational, holding governments to ac-count and generally being a (paid!) full-time rabble-rouser.

I don’t know what I or anyone else cantake away from the tragedy of Alex’s pas-sing. All I know is that in her short timewith us, she contributed more to theworld than others do in a lifetime, and shelived everyday so fully, as if it was the last.She will forever remain an inspiration.

22 • 25 OCTOBRE 2011 • QN

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24 • 25 OCTOBRE 2011 • QN

Thank you to Sarah Goldstein, Alex’s cousin, forsending us beautiful photos of Alex’s childhood.

Below, Alex and her mother.

On the back cover, Alex as a kid.

QN • OCTOBER 25 2011 • 25

I’d like to thank Katrina Peddle and the or-ganizers for inviting me to speak heretoday. I’ve never been more honored.Alex was the very best of us.

I first came to know Alex as an engagedand thoughtful student in my Immigrationand Refugee Law class. Her insightfulness,acuity of mind, and passion were evidentimmediately from her interventions inclass and discussions we had outside theclassroom. She went on to receive thehighest mark awarded that year. Shewrote a brilliant paper on the moralfragility of Canada’s live-in care-giver pro-gram, and a first-rate exam that I laterused as a “best answer.” With academiccredentials like these, Alex could havedone virtually anything she wished to doin the legal profession. She chose to arti-cle at Amnesty International, a choice thatspeaks volumes about the kind of personshe was.

Alex threw herself passionately intoeverything she did and touched, alwaysfollowing her heart, always open to newadventures and causes. Last year Alex waslooking for something to do to fill the Jan-uary-to-May gap this year, the gap be-tween the time she was finishing hercourse work and the time she would writeher bar exams. She received an offer fromthe law firm Freshfields to work in the in-

ternational arbitration department oftheir Paris office. However, they wantedher to start right away, in August of lastyear. True to form, Alex scrapped an ex-change she had set up, went straightawayto Paris, and organized another exchangefor the winter term of this year, in Brus-sels, so as to be able to graduate in thespring.

Now, in the midst of all this I had encour-aged her to take some time off from whatappeared to me as a tireless mission ofsetting the world to rights. She replied inan email, almost shyly, trying to ease myconcern that she was pushing herself toohard, “I know it's not the sunshine andtequila soaked experience of Mexicoyou'd recommended, but I'm hoping as-sorted Belgian waffles and Kriek (a Belgianbeer) will keep me warm.” That was Alex –good-humored, adventure-seeking,wholly bereft of pretence, and reassuring,all the while juggling a variety of balls inthe air.

But perhaps above all, Alex was a dedi-cated and courageous fighter. Dedicatedbecause she so often, and in so manyways, put her time into helping othersrather than herself. Courageous becauseshe publicly supported causes, such as thecause of the Palestinians, that are miredin controversy. A fighter because she vig-

orously contested authority wherever itstood as a mask for oppression. In aworld largely tone deaf to the systemic in-justice of poverty, Alex saw in the globaleconomic order a neoliberal juggernautthat quietly crushes the invisible and leastadvantaged. She saw international law asa way to throw sand in the tracks of thismachine.

Alex, however, also believed that law, asan idea and an aspiration, has an innerheart, and it’s heart, for her, was justice.Her impassioned understanding of law in-fused who she was and what she did, so itis not surprising that Alex gave herselfover to struggles against injustice so self-lessly.

It behooves us now to reflect on how wewill honor Alex, as well as on how we willremember her. We can honor Alex best, Isubmit, by redoubling our efforts to fightfor the disadvantaged. By standing uppublicly for the vulnerable even when it isunsettling and makes others uncomfort-able. By remembering that we are alllaw’s agents and so share responsibilityfor the community and world in which welive. In short, by letting Alex’s example in-spire us all.

Thank you.

EVANFOX-DECENT

Faculty

ALEX’S EXAMPLEOCTOBER 21, 2011

26 • 25 OCTOBRE 2011 • QN

Chers étudiants, chers étudiantes, cherscollègues et amis d’Alexandra Dodger.

Words fail us as we try to come to termswith the unspeakable tragedy of the pass-ing of Alexandra. And yet we must speak.

We must speak because she spoke, tire-lessly, loudly and honourably, on behalf ofthose who have no voice.

In this hour of grief, our day to day livesmay seem pointless and tedious, over-taken as they are by the deep injustice of awonderful life cut short and a future thatwill not be.

And yet we must continue to live, becauseAlexandra lived her life with passion, con-necting with the lives of others, aware oftheir burdens and carrying their aspira-tions on her shoulders.

On this day of remembrance, our desire tosee the good in all things, our commit-ment to being responsible and virtuouscitizens, and our will to find meaning inthe world around us may be eroded by thesenseless death of a courageous youngwoman.

And yet we must continue to believe andto act on our beliefs, because that is what

Alexandra did, and that is who she was.

This Faculty is home to students, profes-sors, and staff members who aspire toshape the world around them. Cette voca-tion de la faculté, cette aspiration s’ex-prime dans le quotidien de chacun etchacune d’entre nous. Elle prend desformes multiples, des couleurs variables,et s’appuie sur des regards et des perspec-tives différentes. La volonté de penser etd’agir qui a animé la vie d’AlexandraDodger, et qui est partagée par tous ici,aussi différents que nous soyons. Cettevolonté est le fondement le plus tenace denotre vie collective.

I know that Alexandra’s passing is a sourceof deep grief for many students, col-leagues and staff members who knew hermost closely, and I offer my sincere condo-lences to them.

As you walk out of Thomson House latertoday, raise your head and look in the di-rection of Dawson Hall on the Main Cam-pus. The McGill Flag on top of our oldestbuilding is flying at half-mast today, in hon-our of this distinguished and inspiringmember of the McGill Community, ourfriend, colleague, and student, AlexandraDodger.

DANIELJUTRAS

Dean

SPEECH DELIVERED AT THEOCTOBER 21 MEMORIALHELD AT THOMSON HOUSE

QN • OCTOBER 25 2011 • 27

On Friday, October 21, 2011, professors, fellow alumni, currentstudents and friends of Alexandra Dodger gathered in the Thom-

son House Ballroom for a service in her honour. After an introduc-tion by Assistant Dean Aisha Topsakal, the Trans-Symphonics

performed the hymn Bread and Roses, a song of the women’smovement. The Dean delivered remarks, followed by Sandhya

Chari’s emotional reading of ‘Alexandra Leaving’ by LeonardCohen. LSA President Catherine Coursol read the motion estab-lishing the LSA’s Alexandra Dodger Award for students with an

outstanding commitment to social justice, which will be deliveredfor the first time this spring. 3L Krista Kais-Prial then performedthe hymn The Night. Remembrances then followed, with Prof.

Fox-Decent recalling Alex as a student, 4L Katrina Peddle recallingher as an activist, and Eloge Butera (Class of ’10) recalling her as afriend and colleague. The service closed with a candle lighting andmoment of silence, followed by the Trans-Symphonics’ perform-

ance of a concluding hymn.

Photo by Lysanne Larose

Journal des étudia nt-e-s en droit de l’université M cGill

McGill Law’sWeekly Student Newspaper

Vo l u m e 3 3 , n 06

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