About

Geoffrey F. Bruce was a diplomat and Canadian federal public servant who believed deeply in the imperative of Canadian leadership and multilateral cooperation as national priorities to protect the environment and ensure the sustainability of Canada’s freshwater resources. Geoffrey Bruce left an important legacy through his career. He led the Canadian Delegation to the UN Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm in 1972, was instrumental in efforts to establish Stockholm program on the environment, was the Canadian Representative to the UN Environment Agency and played a central role in the establishment of the Brundtland Commission (Our Common Future) in 1983. He held several diplomatic positions related to the environment and transboundary freshwater resources.

In honour of her late husband’s career, commitment, and legacy related to the environment and water resources in Canada and on the international stage, Erika v.C. Bruce established the Bruce Fellowships in Environment and Canadian Freshwater Policy at Toronto Metropolitan University. Since 2017, 12 Bruce Graduate Fellows have received funding support for their Masters and PhD research projects on a wide range of topics related to freshwater policy in Canada. In 2022, the Bruce Postdoctoral Fellowship was established through further commitment of Erika v.C. Bruce in supporting the next generation of Canada’s environment and freshwater policy leaders and practitioners. Bruce Fellows are having an impact as Canada’s next generation of water policy leaders and practitioners in positions at the federal, provincial and municipal levels and in non-government organizations working on environment and freshwater policy.