Sujit Choudhry is not only passionate about scholarship, but about taking lessons outside the classroom.
The U of T law professor’s paper on racial profiling was the first academic article ever written in Canada about the constitutionality issues raised by the controversial topic, one that he later organized conferences and workshops to discuss in depth. And over the years, his writings on constitutional law issues, security issues in the post-9/11 world, fiscal federalisms, and more have been published in a variety of publications.
Most recently, Choudhry was enlisted to advise city hall how Toronto should govern itself. Along with Centennial College president Ann Buller and Toronto businessman Martin Connell, he sat on the External Advisory Panel of the city’s Governing Toronto project, where he listened to both city workers and the public’s suggestions, given online, in order to deliver a report on city governance issues.
“It seems that the mayor is quite pleased with [the report] and we’ve been endorsed by the Globe & Mail and the Star. We’ve received some positive feedback from the community and we’re pretty pleased,” said Choudhry.
He credits getting the job to the university and the faculty of law, though he’s not entirely sure why he specifically was picked.
“The fact that I’m a constitutional lawyer made it interesting for them, because even though I didn’t know much about urban governance, I do know how governments work at the federal and provincial level. They wanted someone who had no previous track record on urban governance issues, because there are a lot of people who have been working in the area a long time. They wanted a fresh pair of eyes.”
The son of a former U of T instructor, Choudhry completed his undergrad at McGill University, after which he attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and studied at Harvard.
Choudhry sees great benefit in mixing academic and policy work, and thanks his former dean, Ron Daniels, for supporting him in his effort to do both at once.
“[The faculty] combines both: we’re very academic and scholarly but we also engage in the real world. [This is] very important for me because I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” says Professor Choudhry.
Choudhry believes that governments that search for fresh, outside perspectives are sowing the seeds of success, and that it’s his responsibility as an educator to contribute.
U of T doesn’t only lend its stars to the government, however. The faculty will soon be welcoming Mayor David Miller to teach a few sessions.
“I think those who can engage, should engage,” Choudhry said. “I think it’s very important for a public university to serve the public interests.”
