Mae Jane Nam
McGill University

Committed to a World that is More Equitable Towards Women and Marginalized Groups

Mae Jane Nam, a law student at McGill University, draws her strength and determination from the hardships she has had to overcome. As the founder of the Philippine Women's Centre of Quebec, she intends to defend the rights of marginalized groups and fight discrimination and violence towards women. “Instead of foundering in the face of adversity, I chose to take advantage of these experiences to attain my objectives,” she begins by saying.

Dynamic, audacious and self-assured, Mae Jane first took up arms to defend human rights while pursuing studies in English literature and political science. As well as studying and working up to 45 hours a week, she found the time to take part in a number of human rights initiatives. Among other things, she spent the summer of 2000 on a Native American reserve in British Columbia, teaching children and doing housework for seniors. Then, in 2002 and 2003, she headed for Seoul, where she worked with teenagers, taking preventive action against domestic violence and giving sexual education classes.

On her return to Montréal, Mae Jane was confronted with one of the worst ordeals of her life, one that “made her realize that violence towards women is still a problem in Canada and that only too often in our society the subject is taboo.” During this painful experience, she met other women in the same situation and it was at this point that she made the decision to devote herself to fighting violence towards women. “That she was able to deal with the ordeal with so much resilience and come out of it with renewed stamina and, more importantly, such a positive attitude and faith in life reveals a lot about her character,” points out Maggie Kilgour, a professor at McGill.

After finding the direction she wanted to take in life, Mae Jane found her cause when she became aware of the plight of immigrants from the Philippines. As the daughter of Filipino immigrants, she was particularly touched by the story of Laila Elumbra, who was in danger of being deported by the Canadian authorities. She immediately got to work, alerting the media, meeting with politicians and publicly denouncing a situation that a large number of Filipino immigrants are confronted with.

During the same period, she founded the Philippine Women's Centre of Quebec (PWC-Q) and broadened her field of action. “Though many students are affected by the terrible plight of other countries, Mae Jane calls to mind that right here in Canada people are confronted with the unacceptable,” adds Maggie Kilgour. Mae Jane’s efforts were not in vain, as Citizenship and Immigration Canada reversed their decision and allowed Laila Elumbra to start taking steps to obtain her permanent resident status.

Mae Jane’s work at PWC-Q prompted her to consider studying law and she returned to McGill with the firm intention of using her newly acquired knowledge to further the cause of Filipino women in Canada. And her legal studies have already enabled her to set up two major projects for PWC-Q, including an exhaustive study on the situation of Filipino-Canadian immigrants in Canada.

“I am proud to have overcome the hardships, but also proud that this adversity has given me perspective and a passion for fighting for social justice,” Mae Jane Nam confides in conclusion.

Mae Jane Nam
McGill University