In Memoriam: Remembering Peter Showler

It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to our colleague and partner, Peter Showler, who passed away in October. Peter was a legal scholar, educator, and an advocate for vulnerable people, particularly refugees. He will be remembered as a dedicated and compassionate champion for justice.

Peter’s long-standing relationship with Maytree was marked by a passion for fairness and a commitment to the people seeking asylum in Canada. He inspired and informed our work, principally on advancing changes to our refugee protection system. He had a particular knack for transforming complex issues into practical opportunities to build a better society, and understood the need to focus on the human impact of public policy choices.

He brought this expertise to his decade-long tenure on the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, first as a member and then as its Chair, and shared it with the next generation of advocates and scholars at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law. He was the Director of the Refugee Forum at the Human Rights Research and Education Centre, University of Ottawa, from 2006 to 2013. In recognition of his contributions to refugee law and for his mentorship of the next generation of refugee lawyers, Peter was awarded the Order of Canada in September 2023.

Peter was also a prolific writer. His book, Refugee Sandwich: Stories of Exile and Asylum, took readers on the arduous and sometimes complicated journey faced by people who seek asylum in Canada and undergo our refugee determination process. For Maytree, he contributed an essay to “Making Their Mark: Canada’s Young Refugees,” a publication celebrating the 10th year anniversary of the Maytree Scholarship Program. Among his policy works, he wrote, “Fast, Fair and Final: Reforming Canada’s Refugee System,” which proposed reforms to Canada’s inland refugee determination system.

For Maytree staff, Peter was both an advocate and a mentor. His deep understanding of Canada’s obligations to people seeking asylum and his unwavering efforts to uphold our humanitarian commitments were a guiding force for our work. His recent intervention on behalf of female journalists in Afghanistan exemplified his unyielding commitment, even in the face of his own failing health.

To Peter’s family, we extend our sincerest condolences. We will miss him deeply.