When he was born, Desmond Tutu was given the middle name “Mpilo,” Sotho for “life,” because he was a sickly baby, not expected to survive. “That,” he has said, “was my first commitment to faith.”

His faith in the peaceful destiny of South Africa and his commitment to that destiny earned Archbishop Tutu the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize. For years he served as his country’s voice of conscience during its long struggle against apartheid. When that struggle was finally won, he took the first steps, as Chairman of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to minister to the ugly wounds it left behind. On October 29, 1998 the commission submitted its initial report to President Nelson Mandela, marking a significant step in the nation’s healing process, as well as an international reminder of the commitment to the pursuit of freedom and justice. Archbishop Tutu soothed the spirits and rallied the hearts of his people with simple words of passion and dignity. These words also served to invoke the indignity of the world against South Africa’s apartheid regime.

Throughout the long years dedicated to reclaiming the dignity of his people, Archbishop Tutu always saw himself as “a simple pastor, passionately concerned for justice, peace, and reconciliation.” With his work on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission drawing to a close, he has pledged himself to continue to speak out for these concerns, not only in his own country, but throughout the world.

As a successful actress, devoted mother and committed spokeswoman for children, Mia Farrow has absolutely done it all. Following her young life in 1940's Hollywood as the daughter of actress Maureen O'Sullivan and writer/director John Farrow, she went on to earn her own stellar list of credentials, acting in more than two dozen movies including such classics as Rosemary's Baby, The Great Gatsby, and Hannah and Her Sisters, along with her breakthrough television appearance in Peyton Place. Overcoming a childhood battle with polio and a much-publicized, tumultuous personal life, Farrow has emerged victorious and remains one of Hollywood's most extraordinary women.

As the mother of fourteen children - ten of whom are adopted, Mia Farrow has now devoted her life to humanitarian efforts and the care of a truly remarkable family. With the goal of helping those who are less fortunate, she brings an unending source of courage, hope and spiritual strength to her role as mother and activist. Farrow reflected on her ever-evolving life journey in the sincere and candid bestseller, What Falls Away. In what Newsweek calls "a simply elegant memoir," she presents a revealing and candid account of her personal struggles, her numerous professional successes, and her passionate and sincere commitment to the children of the world.

One of the most successful actors and prominent producers in Hollywood, double Academy Award winner Michael Douglas has over 30 years of experience in theatre, film, and television.

As one of the stars of the hit television series The Streets of San Francisco, Douglas further established himself as a true Hollywood powerhouse when he left the series to make his foray into producing films with the classic film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The film was both a critical and commercial success and went on to win five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress.

Douglas won the Best Actor award for his performance in Wall Street, and as both an actor and producer, he has continued to show an uncanny knack for choosing projects that are socially relevant and successful entertainment. Over the span of his career, he has chosen politically influential and controversial motion pictures including Cuckoo's Nest, The China Syndrome, and Traffic, and such popular hits as Fatal Attraction, Romancing the Stone, Basic Instinct, and The American President.
Douglas has long been a champion of social and environmental causes. He has been especially active in working with the United Nations (UN) and was named a UN Messenger of Peace by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1998. His two primary areas of focus are nuclear abolition and the prevention of small arms proliferation.
During 2006, he appeared in a UN public service announcement to raise awareness of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons and to promote a UN conference on small arms. In the previous year, he lent his support to numerous causes with activities as diverse as representing the UN Messengers of Peace at the 2005 Observance of the International Day of Peace at United Nations Headquarters; narrating public service announcements to promote the Millennium Development Goals and the International Year of Micro Credit (program for micro financing among the poor); and, hosting a tribute to American veterans during the Super Bowl. He assisted the UN and the Government of Thailand with Tsunami relief; conducted a “Global Nomads” video conference lesson on the plight of child soldiers with high school throughout the US; and, hosted the eighth annual Michael Douglas & Friends Celebrity Golf that benefits the Motion Picture and Television Foundation.

In addition to producing dramatic works, Douglas uses his production skills to champion the humanitarian causes about which he cares passionately. One of his most notable achievements is his role in the 2003 Showtime documentary What’s Going On? which portrays the abuse of child soldiers in Sierra Leone and the impact of the UN rehabilitation program.

Douglas is an active supporter of social, environmental and artistic advocacy groups such as The Brady Center for Handgun Control, The Cancer Research Institute, Ploughshares, Humanistic Robots, Global Security Institute, and the American Film Institute. He has received numerous awards for his public works, including the Humanitarian Award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Courage Award from the Cedars-Sinai Research for Women’s Cancer, the Peace Award from the World Peace Conference, and honors from the Christopher Reeve Foundation and Brady Center. He is the recent recipient of the World Economic Forum’s prestigious Crystal Award for outstanding excellence in the field of culture and for using his art to reach out to other cultures.

The son of celebrated Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, he attended Choate School in New England and spent his summers on movie sets with his father. Douglas received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara before moving to New York City to continue his dramatic training at the American Place Theater.
Douglas is married to Academy Award-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. The couple has one son and one daughter and Douglas has another son from a previous marriage.

Cherie Booth Blair is a trailblazer in her professional life and a dedicated wife and mother in her private life. The New York Times wrote: “Cherie Booth is viewed as something of a wonder woman for her ability to balance her high-powered professional life, high-visibility public life and intensely consuming private life." Her husband, Prime Minister Tony Blair, has given his wife credit for being "…an enormous source of strength and an extraordinary person in her own right. I never know how she manages with all the different things she does - the work, the family." She married Tony Blair in 1980 and in 1995 she became a Queen’s Counsel, which is a title held by only 10 percent of English lawyers. Currently, she specializes in Public, Employment and European Community Law at Matrix Chambers law group in London. Ms. Booth is the Chancellor and Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University (JMU), Governor and Honorary Fellow of the London School of Economics and the Open University, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, a Doctor of Laws (Westminster University) and a Fellow of the International Society of Lawyers for Public Service. She is a Bencher of Lincolns Inn London as well as honorary Bencher of Kings Inn Dublin.

Recipient of countless awards for both his on-screen performances and his tireless political activism, Tim Robbins’ name is synonymous with politics in Hollywood today. At the podium he is a gifted speaker whose lectures educate and inspire listeners to make a difference in their communities and the world at large.

In the course of his career Tim has made his mark as an actor, director and producer, often to critical acclaim. Among the films he has been associated with are Mystic River (for which he won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor); Dead Man Walking (which garnered him an Oscar nomination for Best Director); and Short Cuts (for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor).

But it is for his political activism that Tim hopes to make his most lasting contribution to the world, and about which he is most excited to speak to audiences. A longtime member of the Green Party, Tim is a prominent spokesperson for anti-globalization and a vocal opponent of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. He is renowned for the passionate commitment he brings to these and other social and political engagements, and for galvanizing into action others who share his love of truth, justice and country.

As an actress, director, producer, and humanitarian, Trudie Styler continues to amaze us with her unique depth and range in the creative arts. Her ability to balance her artistic vision with her inspiring and revolutionary charitable campaigns allow us to recognize her as a true leader in making a difference. In 1988, along with her husband Sting, Trudie started the Rainforest Foundation, an organization devoted to protecting rainforests and their indigenous peoples.

As an ambassador for UNICEF, she remains committed to working to improve the lives of impoverished and exploited children all over the world.

Ishmael Beah was born in Sierra Leone on November 23, 1980. When he was eleven, Ishmael’s life, along with the lives of millions of other Sierra Leoneans, was derailed by the outbreak of a brutal civil war. After his parents and two brothers were killed, Ishmael was recruited to fight as a child soldier. He was thirteen. He fought for over two years before he was removed from the army by UNICEF and placed in a rehabilitation home in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. After completing rehabilitation in late 1996, Ishmael won a competition to attend a conference at the United Nations to talk about the devastating effects of war on children in his country. It was there that he met his new mother, Laura Simms, a professional storyteller who lives in New York. Ishmael returned to Sierra Leone and continued speaking about his experiences to help bring international attention to the issue of child soldiering and war affected children.

In 1998 Ishmael came to live with his American family in New York City. He completed high school at the United Nations International School, and subsequently went on to Oberlin College in Ohio. Throughout his high school and undergraduate education, Ishmael continued his advocacy work to bring attention to the plight of child soldiers and children affected by war around the world, speaking on numerous occasions on behalf of Unicef, Human Rights Watch, United Nations Secretary General’s Office for Children and Armed Conflict, at the United Nations General Assembly, serving on a UN panel with Secretary General Kofi Annan and discussing the issue with dignitaries such as Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton. He is a member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Committee.
In A Long Way Gone, Beah, now twenty-six years old, tells a riveting story. At the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. Eventually released by the army and sent to a UNICEF rehabilitation center, he struggled to regain his humanity and to reenter the world of civilians, who viewed him with fear and suspicion. This is, at last, a story of redemption and hope.

World Children’s Prize winner Craig Kielburger and acclaimed leadership specialist Marc Kielburger are internationally renowned social entrepreneurs and visionaries. Authors of the best-selling book Me to We, they are the founders of Free The Children and Leaders Today. Free The Children is the world’s largest network of children helping children through education, while Leaders Today is the top youth leadership training organization dedicated to empowering young people to become responsible global citizens. With three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and high-profile partnerships with organizations including the United Nations and Oprah's Angel Network as well as business groups, government bodies and educators, the Kielburgers specialize in connecting people with the issues that matter.

Sam Hamad holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, a master’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in management.

Known for his long-standing community involvement, he was a founding member of the board of directors for the Québec Bridge retrofit project and is a former chairman of the board of Fondation de l’Auberivière (Maison l’Auberivière is an organization devoted to helping disadvantaged citizens.) He has also served as vice-president of Centraide Québec and as a member of the board of directors of Fondation de l’Hôpital Laval.

His social commitment is also visible in his professional experience. Well known in the Capitale-Nationale region, he helped boost the vitality of the business sector as president of the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie du Québec métropolitain and as vice-president of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec. An elected member of the board of directors of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, he was the first Québec engineer to receive the Meritorious Service Award for Community Service from the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers.

Before entering politics, he was senior vice-president of Groupe Roche, a firm headquartered in Québec City, which employed 1,000 people at the time.

Elected to the National Assembly in 2003 as MNA for Louis-Hébert, he served as Minister of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Parks and Minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale region until 2005. Re-elected in 2007, he is currently Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity.

At 36, Rosemont native Patrick Huard’s bio reads like the curriculum vitae of a hyperactive mythomaniac.

The multi-faceted Patrick Huard is foremost an actor: he appears in some 15 feature films including La Vie après l'Amour, Nez Rouge, Sur le Seuil, Maman Last Call,and Monica la Mitraille. In 2005, he co-starred with Colm Feore in the comedy thriller Bon Cop Bad Cop. On television, he has played several roles – some good guys, some bad guys – even a drag queen! – in series such as Music Hall, Cover Girl, Fortier, and recently Au Nom de la Loi for Radio-Canada. On stage, he performed in Éric Bogosian’s Talk Radio at the Monument National, as well as for television under the direction of Micheline Lanctôt. Patrick won the Prix Luce-Guilbeault for his cinema performances in Les Boys and J’en suis.

Patrick Huard is also a comedian with two one man shows under his belt: 18 ans et plus and Face à Face. He has been invited to a great many number of Galas and tours for the French version of the Just for Laughs Festival. Last century, he even opened for Michel Courtemanche. Huard has some 1,200 stage appearances to his credit, as well as hundreds of thousands of tickets sold in Québec. The DVD of his Face à Face show remains a best-seller, and he has won 3 Oliviers Awards (Humor Gala Les Oliviers), 2 Félix Awards (Gala de l'ADISQ) and, in 1992, he drove away with First Prize (a car!) at the Rochefort Festival in Belgium.

Patrick Huard is an author in his own right: he has written chronicles for television, stand-ups, and the skits for his own performances, as well as songs for Dan Bigras and Lynda Lemay. He also signs the script for Bon Cop Bad Cop.

In addition, Patrick Huard is a stage director: he was responsible for the design and stage direction for the opening performance of the 15th FrancoFolies de Montréal in 2003.

To boot, Patrick Huard is a host: against his better judgment, Patrick has acted as host for several Juste pour rire Galas, the ADISQ Gala, the Soirée des Jutra, several daily radio programs, as well as a series about humor for Radio-Canada.

Compounding the felony, Patrick Huard is a director: 3 video clips (Éric Lapointe and Florent Vollant), a documentary about Client Services for Canal D, besides his first feature film, Les Trois Petits Cochons, in 2006.

Patrick Huard is definitely not a singer: even if he has shared the stage (and sung) with luminaries Éric Lapointe and Diane Dufresne!

Patrick adores his daughter and enjoys cooking. He is passionate about golf, fashion and cinema. He appreciates women as well as his friends (of both sexes). He has been faithful to his manager for the last 15 years. He is graced with the qualities one finds in people with ambition, and the faults of free-thinking spirits. A simple person, he is not. If he where, how could he have his finger in all these pies he defines as story telling?

Finally, Patrick Huard plays the clarinet, but never in public.

Always passionate about her music, Geneviève was introduced to the classics of rock music thanks to her brother Eric, a composer and guitarist. He was the one that had her listening to Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Hendrix. He even played their music with his own band. “I grew up listening each and every night after school to my brother’s band rehearsals. They would open the garage door and the neighbourhood kids and myself would come and listen to them.” Consequently, it’s very early on that Geneviève started dreaming about a career in the arts and music. This dream became reality in 1992 when she was chosen as a host by Musiqueplus, a position she held for eight years. Eight fantastic years in which she traveled extensively and especially had the opportunity to meet music’s greatest stars: Madonna, Rod Stewart, the Rolling Stones, Phil Collins and David Bowie.

Before joining Musiqueplus, Geneviève worked in Télévision Quatre Saisons’ newsroom as a receptionist and researcher from 1989 to 1991. “These were turbulent times both on the international and national scene: on the world scene, the Gulf War, the Eastern Bloc countries’greater opening to western influence and the fall of the Berlin wall, and here at home, the Oka crisis, Lake Meech and the Polytechnique drama.”

After which, she joined Météomédia as a reporter in the field of environment. Every day, she would prepare and present a segment on the environment. “The subjects were extremely varied! I had the opportunity of visiting an irradiation plant, explain the phenomenon of shooting stars, meet a farmer who had invented a new fertilizer and an astronaut just back from a space trip.”

As a teenager, Geneviève was also quite passionate about fashion. She participated in many fashion shows as a model and her face graced various advertising campaigns. But she concluded her greatest modeling contract may years later while working at Musiqueplus... Cover-Girl approached her to become the spokesperson for their Quebec campaign entitled Simplement Moi (Simply Me), a prestigious campaign during which she participated in many photo shoots and recorded a TV ad.

It’s in the year 2000 that Geneviève left Musiqueplus for TVA. She then collaborated in various cultural shows before joining in 2001 Dans Ma Caméra, a reality show in which Geneviève herself filmed various artists in true life situations. “I found myself in all sorts of ludicrous situations doing this show… I accompanied Simon Durivage at the car wash, France Castel at her psychiatrist, André Robitaille at his optometrist and Gilles Vigneault at the grave site of poet Émile Nelligan. I also had the occasion of meeting many artists in their homes and was often offered a lovely meal! The fact that I was alone with them and my camera created a tremendous sense of intimacy and resulted in some moments of pure magic.”

Geneviève can also be heard on the radio as part of the Énergie network family. Each weekend, she is the host of the Grand Décompte Énergie and also participates in many special broadcasts.

A true world traveler, she has visited many European countries of which Italy, Spain, France, England, Scotland and Germany, and absolutely fell in love with Prague. Her passion for traveling, she shares with her audience of the Évasion network which has accompanied her on the beaches of French Polynesia, in the Tunisian desert and in the fairytale decors of Vietnam.

And what does Geneviève do with her leisure time? She often acts as a DJ in parties, plays the drums, takes pictures, writes articles for magazines often accompanied by her own pictures, and prepares her next trip!

She absolutely wants to tour the world! Her next destination? Undoubtedly India!

Vincent Graton graduated from le Conservatoire des arts dramatiques de Montréal in 1981. He was first recognized for his television performances in LE PARC DES BRAVES, as well as L’HÉRITAGE, CHAMBRE EN VILLE, LE RETOUR, LA PART DES ANGES, the celebrated LA VIE, LA VIE and L’AUBERGE DU CHIEN NOIR. Vincent was also the host for the Radio-Canada television show DES KIWIS ET DES HOMMES.

Vincent has also showcased his talents on the stage, including DES HOMMES D’HONNEUR, LA MORT D’UN COMMIS VOYAGEUR at la Compagnie Jean Duceppe, LES ANNÉES at the Théâtre de 4’Sous, COMÉDIE RUSSE, LES 5NÔ MODERNES, GALILÉES and ROMÉO AND JULIETTE. Recently, he was involved with the play LA PETITE SCRAP.

We had the chance to see Vincent on the big screen in Louise Archambault’s 2005 hit, FAMILIA. He is currently in Fernand Dansereau’s LA BRUNANTE.

Andrée Ruffo has dedicated her life to the world’s children. She has trained in the arts, education (including adult education) and the law, in which field she has both practised and served on the bench. The founder of the International Bureau for Children’s Rights (IBCR) and a sponsor of Magicians without Borders has advocated over the past three decades on behalf of children in need of protection. A much-sought-out international speaker, she has also written and published nine books and over fifty specialized articles, and contributed to a significant number of other works. Andrée Ruffo, a poet and a painter, continues to speak with courage and integrity of the indifference and lack of responsibility demonstrated by adults who claim for themselves the right to promise a better world to children, who unceasingly experience betrayal at their hands.

The Honourable Beverley J. Oda was appointed the Minister of International Cooperation on August 14, 2007. The Member of Parliament for Durham (Ontario), she is responsible for Canada’s overseas development assistance through CIDA. 

Ms. Oda was first elected to Parliament in 2004, and was re-elected in 2006. On February 6, 2006, she was appointed Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women. Previous to this, she served in Opposition as the Critic for Canadian Heritage and as a member of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

Prior to her election, Ms. Oda spent more than two decades in the fields of public and private broadcasting. In 1999, Ms. Oda was appointed senior Vice-President, Industry Affairs, at CTV. From 1987 to 1993, she served as a commissioner with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. 

Ms. Oda began her broadcasting career at TV Ontario in 1973. In 1976, she moved to the field of commercial broadcasting. She has also worked as a consultant in the areas of multiculturalism, diversity and broadcasting. 

Ms. Oda was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, in 1944. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts. She served as chair of the Lakeridge Health Hospital Network and is a recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal.

As a producer, host and creator, Chantal Lacroix has managed to place herself amongst television’s biggest names with such hit shows as “Partis pour l’été”, “SOS Beauté” and “Donnez au suivant”. In 2006, “Donnez au suivant” was awarded 3 Gémeaux awards, one of which named Chantal Lacroix as best host. And in 2007, “Donnez au suivant” has won best reality tv show for a second year in a row.

The energetic and versatile woman has also written a recipe book inspired by one of her shows titled “SOS Beauté”, which has sold more than 195,000 copies to date.

In constant search for new challenges, Chantal has signed on to act in television series; “Lance et Compte, la conquête” and “Lance et Compte, la revange”.

But it won’t be the first time that Chantal has acted, she has already appeared on the big screen in films such as L’Âge des Ténèbres by Academy Award winner Denys Arcand, and Nez Rouge by Erik Canuel.

She was elected as Female Personality of the year for 2005 and 2006 by publications such as Journal de Montréal, 7 jours, Elles Québec and Châtelaine, and recently, she was voted Woman of the Year 2007 by Consumer’s Choice. Chantal Lacroix is living proof that in order to make a dream come true, one should “take an ordinary life and turn it into an extraordinary one ”.

This year, Chantal Lacroix is hosting “90 minutes de bonheur” that she produced and created as well. Look for her every Tuesday night on TQS at 20:00.

English version available soon.

Mr. Martin was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada and is the Member of Parliament for LaSalle-Émard in Montreal, Quebec. He was first elected federally in 1988.

The Liberal Party of Canada won the 1993 General Election and Mr. Martin was sworn in as Minister of Finance. He served in that role from November 1993 until June 2002.

In the months leading up to the November 2003 Liberal Leadership Convention, Mr. Martin garnered unprecedented support from Liberals right across the country.

As Prime Minister, Mr. Martin succeeded in negotiating a ten year, 41 billion dollar plan to improve health care and reduce wait times. He signed agreements with all provinces to establish a national early learning and child care program. And under his leadership in November 2005, the Canadian Government reached an historic consensus with Canada's provinces, territories, First Nations, Métis and Inuit people that would eliminate the gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians in the areas of health, education, housing and economic opportunity. It became known as the Kelowna Accord.

During his time as finance minister, Canada recorded five consecutive budget surpluses, erased a $42 billion deficit, paid down more than $36 billion in debt, invested in health care and other key priorities and put in place the largest tax cuts in Canadian history.

As Canada's finance minister, Mr. Martin was highly regarded on the world stage and represented Canada at a series of international summits. In September 1999, he was named inaugural chair of the G-20, an international group composed of G-7 nations and emerging market nations. He is respected internationally in part for his leadership in forging a new world financial order in which emerging economies would be prevented from plunging into ruinous financial crises.

Sonia was the very first female VJ for Much Music/Musique Plus and is considered one the most popular VJs in Canadian history;
She has interviewed countless stars from the world of music - everyone from Paul McCartney to Céline Dion;
Sonia is trilingual, speaking English, French and Spanish fluently, and can switch with ease between the languages during interviews;
She spent five years on TQS hosting a daily live talk show – more than 200 shows a year with more than one million viewers per show;
Running simultaneously, she had a critically-acclaimed interview show called Duo Benezra on Musimax and the popular American show Famous Homes & Hideaways, which she hosted for four consecutive seasons on WTN.
She is a winner of four MétroStar Awards (equivalent of People’s Choice Awards) in Quebec for Television Host of the Year and three Gemini Award’s for Best Talk Show Host.
Sonia is the official Quebec spokeswoman for World Vision Canada;
You can catch Sonia on TV virtually every morning on 2 filles le matin (TVA), as well as radio on Q92, weekdays from 4-7 p.m.