Priscilla de Villiers is a Canadian activist. She was the founder and president of CAVEAT, an organization advocating governmental policy on crime. Originally from South Africa, de Villiers is the mother of Nina de Villiers, a McMaster University student who was murdered on August 9, 1991 while jogging in Burlington, Ontario. Her killer had, according to CAVEAT's website, "a long history of violence." This event prompted de Villiers to enter public life and found CAVEAT to lobby government policy to strengthen laws in the hopes of preventing similar incidents. In May, 1995, she received an honorary doctorate of law from McMaster University, Hamilton. In August-September 2000 she ran unsuccessfully in a by-election in the riding of Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Aldershot for the Ontario PC Party, losing to Ted McMeekin. Subsequent to the by-election, Ms. de Villiers was appointed Special Advisor to the Ontario Office for Victims of Crime where she continued to provide direct support to victims of crime and conduct research on issues that impact victimization. The research resulted in a report on the role of victims of crime in restorative justice in Ontario. Her appointment ended in January 2005. In 2006 she was appointed to the Advisory Committee on Victim Issues to the Policy Centre on Victim Issues, Department of Justice, Canada. In March 2007 Priscilla de Villiers was appointed as a member of the Ontario Office for Victims of Crime.
In 1993, McMaster University created a memorial garden dedicated to Nina de Villiers on the university grounds, in front of University Hall.
Charity work
CAVEAT (Canadians Against Violence Everywhere Advocating for its Termination) was a Canadian lobby group which existed from 1991 to May 10, 2001, based in Burlington, Ontario. The organization agitated for a number of changes in government policy, particularly in promotion of tough-on-crime legislation and increased gun control. It was founded by Priscilla de Villiers in 1991, after her daughter Nina was murdered.
References
- de Villiers, Priscilla: Maclean's 1995 Honor Roll
- Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan's speech praising Priscilla on April 15, 1999 in Ottawa
