An impressive group of colleagues from both law and politics came together Wednesday evening to honour Irwin Cotler.

Politicians, lawyers and Supreme Court justices paid tribute to the former MP and law expert for his impressive work in human rights.

“Irwin Cotler is the most important advocate of human rights in the world today,” said Harvard University law professor and civil rights lawyer Alan Dershowitz, who attended the tribute at the Congregation Sheer Hashomayim by the Lord Reading Law Society on the occasion of the Annual Human Rights Lecture.

“That's why I've nominated him repeatedly for the Nobel Peace Prize. He's the only person today who stands up for everybody's human rights. Whether you're a Jew or a Muslim or a Christian, whether you're wealthy or poor, Irwin Cotler is there for everybody,” he said.

Cotler has represented many political prisoners and dissidents, including Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, Venezuelan political prisoner Leopoldo Lopez, and Jewish activist Natan Sharansky.

In 1981, Cotler also served as Canadian counsel for Nelson Mandela.

“Here's a person who endured 27 years in a South African prison and emerged not only to preside over the dismantling of apartheid, but become the president of the first ever egalitarian free South Africa. That tells us about the importance of foreign political prisoners,” said Cotler.

Cotler has also had a long career in politics, serving as MP for Mount Royal from 1999 to 2015, and also served as both justice minister and Attorney General of Canada.

Born in Montreal, Cotler has received numerous awards, including the Order of Canada.

“Whether it's hunger in Darfur, whether it's fairness with respect to debates in the Middle East, whether it's the treatment of Aboriginal people in Canada, Irwin has simply been and continues to be a beacon for all of us and he so deserves the honour tonight,” said D’Arcy McGee MNA David Birnbaum.

Cotler said the honour is less about him and more about what he stands for.

“The sense of fellowship and friendship and people coming together inspired by one common cause – the rule of law, democracy, human rights, all the good things about Canada,” he said.