Dr. Debra Thompson is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Canada Research Chair in Racial Inequality in Democratic Societies at McGill University. She is a leading scholar of the comparative politics of race and a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. Her research, teaching, and public scholarship seek to analyze the complex historic and contemporary relationships among race, the state, and inequality in Canada and other democratic societies. Dr. Thompson’s multiple award-winning first book, The Schematic State: Race, Transnationalism, and the Politics of the Census (Cambridge University Press, 2016) is a study of the political development of racial classifications on the national censuses of the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Her best-selling second book, The Long Road Home: On Blackness and Belonging (Scribner Canada, 2022) is equal parts a personal meditation, penetrating analysis, and pointed social critique of the dynamics of race and belonging over time and across the Canadian-U.S. border. The Long Road Home was one of Indigo’s top 100 books, CBC’s best non-fiction of 2022, the Hill Times top 100 books of 2022, the winner of the Canadian Political Science Association’s Donald Smiley Prize for the best book on Canadian politics and government and a finalist for the prestigious Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction. Dr. Thompson is a frequent commentator in print media, radio, podcasts, and television. She appeared in the 2022 documentary Black Ice, is a contributing opinion columnist at the Globe and Mail, and, in collaboration with the Institute for Research on Public Policy, produces and hosts the In/Equality, a special series of the Policy Options podcast on the many facets of inequality in Canadian society. She is currently working on several projects that extract and examine the mechanics of systemic racism in Canada. 

The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell is the longest-serving Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (2014-2023). She carried out thousands of constitutional and ceremonial duties and encouraged Ontarians to think deeply about their role as residents of a province and as global citizens. She became known as Ontario’s “Storyteller-in-Chief”. Building a resilient and sustainable society was the focus of her mandate. Safeguarding democracy was her passion.

Ms. Dowdeswell’s eclectic public service career has spanned provincial, federal and international borders and transcended disciplinary lines, engaging the public in complex issues of social significance. She contributed globally as Under Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. In Canada her diverse portfolios ranged from culture, the arts and education to environment, science and technology and management of public enquiries. She was the founding president and CEO of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, and later the President and CEO of the Council of Canadian Academies. She has served on the boards of Canadian and international corporate and non-profit organizations. 

Ms. Dowdeswell has a BSc in home economics and a teaching certificate from the University of Saskatchewan and an MSc in behavioural sciences from Utah State University. She is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Order of Ontario and is the recipient of numerous distinctions and fellowships. She holds 11 honorary doctorates.

Professor Kathleen E. Mahoney has a JD from the University of British Columbia, an LLM degree from Cambridge University, a Diploma in International Comparative Human Rights from the Strasbourg International Human Rights Institute in France, and an Honorary Doctorate from University Canada West in Vancouver. She is Emeritus Professor of Law at the University of Calgary and King’s Counsel. She has held Visiting Professorships or Fellowships at Harvard University, the University of Chicago, Adelaide University, University of Western Australia, Griffiths University, the National University of Australia and Ulster University in Ireland. 

She was the Chief Negotiator for Canada’s Indigenous peoples claim against Canada and major religious denoninations for the Indian Residential School policy and the abuse inflicted on students, achieving the largest Indigenous settlement in Canadian history for the mass human rights violations. She was the primary architect of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and led the negotiations for the historic apology from the Canadian Parliament and from Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. 

Kathleen has been blanketed three times by the British Columbia Chiefs, University of Saskatchewan, Vice-Provost Indigenous Engagement, and Treaty 3 First Nation. She received her Indigenous name from Elder Fred Kelly from Treaty 3 First Nation. 

She was co-counsel for Bosnia Herzegovina in their genocide action against Serbia in the International Court of Justice with the result that the definition of genocide in the Genocide Convention was altered to include mass rapes and forced pregnancy as genocide offences. 

Professor Mahoney is a Trudeau Fellow, and a Fulbright and Human Rights Fellow (Harvard), a Sir Allan Sewell Fellow, a Senior Fellow and Canadian Co-Chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Human Rights Centre. She received the Governor General’s medal for her contribution to equality in Canada. In 2022 Professor Mahoney received the inaugural Ontario Women in Law Leadership Rosalie Silberman Abella Award. She was awarded Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal from the province of Alberta and the province of Manitoba. Since 2008 she has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the nation’s highest academic honour.

Andrea Mariko Grant is the acting Research Director for the Samara Centre for Democracy. For the past decade, her research and teaching has focused on youth civic engagement and the relationship between art and democracy. A Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Victoria, she holds a PhD in social anthropology from the University of Oxford and was previously a Research Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Cambridge. 

Andrea also works as a community-engaged curator, leading public history and public art projects that explore Japanese Canadian experience and identity. 

Ruhee Baig has spent more than a decade supporting both large national companies and small, independent start-ups with their daily operational needs. Her career path has included working for Rogers where she held a variety of positions including Sales Agent, Corporate Sales Team Member and Field Sales Analyst. Her time at Rogers also includes working in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.  

At San Francisco-based Credit Sesame, Ruhee served as a People Operations Specialist and was instrumental in creating an official Disconnect from Workplace policy for the financial technology start-up.

Chloë Hill is a bilingual program and policy advisor with a keen focus on modernizing service delivery models to better meet the needs of diverse communities. She has extensive experience leading strategy, supporting large-scale research projects and drafting policy recommendations across government, regulatory and not-for-profit sectors. Chloë is the host of Les Personnages de la Chambre, the Samara Centre’s French language podcast that explores the lived experience of former Members of Parliament. She holds a Master of Public Policy, Administration and Law from York University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Political Science from Carleton University.

Farha Akhtar is a former CBC Radio Producer with the award winning show The Current in Toronto, Canada. Over the years she has worked as a freelance producer and contributor for a variety of other CBC programs including the Canadian national politics and current affairs show The House. Farha is a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University as well as the University of Regina School of Journalism.

Lisa LaFlamme has been at the forefront of journalism for over 30 years tackling some of the biggest issues of our time, traveling the globe, delivering breaking news and bringing it back home to Canadians. 

The internationally respected journalist has interviewed major newsmakers, Prime Ministers, Presidents and Princes while always keeping the spotlight on the injustices that plague the world’s most oppressed.

LaFlamme has traveled to some of the world’s most dangerous places and through her extensive war coverage of Iraq, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine has documented the reality of how conflict warps society, punishes the most vulnerable and benefits the most corrupt. 

A native of Kitchener-Waterloo, in 1988, LaFlamme began her career in local radio and TV in her hometown before making the move to CTV National News in 1997.  She moved from Prime Time anchor of CTV Newschannel to an Ottawa correspondent in CTV’s Parliamentary bureau.  In September 2001, LaFlamme became co-host of the number one morning show Canada Am.  Her second day on the job, 9-11, the attacks on the World Trade Centre pulled her out of the studio once again to report from New York City, the United Nations, the Pentagon and ultimately Iraq and Afghanistan. 

For more than a decade LaFlamme went from conflict zone to disaster zone delivering award winning coverage of  hurricanes, earthquakes and climate crises including Southeast Asia in the wake of the deadly 2005 tsunami and Japan’s devastating nuclear emergency in 2011. That same year she was named Canada’s first female anchor of a national nightly newscast replacing longtime anchor Lloyd Robertson.  

As Chief Anchor and Senior Editor of CTV National News for almost 12 years, LaFlamme led the country’s number one newscast and cemented her role as the face of news in Canada. During her career, she has received critical acclaim for her live special broadcasts from around the world marking moments in history from Royal weddings to funerals, major political upheaval at home and abroad, the rescue of the Chilean miners, the opioid crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing resilience of refugees. LaFlamme has reported extensively on the humanitarian crisis facing the Afghan people and has worked intensively on helping Afghan women and girls under threat by the Taliban. 

The veteran journalist is the recipient of 12 Canadian Screen Awards, consecutive RTDNA awards a Lifetime Achievement Award  for broadcasting and journalism and in 2023,  The Gordon Sinclair Award for her “exceptional body of work in broadcast journalism.” Over her career she has received an honorary doctorate from her alma mater University of Ottawa, an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont. and the University of Windsor and an honorary Doctor of Letters from Trent University. She is the recipient of the Order of Ontario and in  June 2019,  was named Officer of the Order of Canada (O.C.), one of the country’s highest honours. 

A passionate advocate of democracy in journalism, LaFlamme volunteers for Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) and has traveled with the organization to the Democratic Republic of Congo to mentor young journalists in Goma, in the heart of the conflict zone. She serves as honorary co-chair of the annual JHR Night for Rights and in 2022 was awarded the JHR award for Human Rights Reporting.

Lisa is also an ambassador for Plan International and volunteers for Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. 

Jeilah Chan is a partner at Stikeman Elliott LLP, a leading Canadian law firm.

Jeilah’s desire to foster community interest in the democratic process are rooted in her experiences as a refugee.

She was born in Haiphong, Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Her family was forced to flee as part of the flotilla of refugees who became known as “boat people”. Jeilah, her family and fifty others were set adrift by their smugglers in the South China Sea aboard a small wooden boat. Fortunately picked up by the Macau Coast Guard, they were handed over to authorities in Hong Kong where they were granted refugee status and lived in the refugee camp. They were eventually allowed to settle in a one room apartment with two other families in the largely ungoverned Kowloon Walled City.

When Canada accepted a limited number of Chinese-Vietnamese refugees, a generous family in McBride, BC sponsored them. The Chans eventually relocated to Cambridge, ON where Jeilah’s parents found steady jobs, allowing Jeilah to pursue her education and learn English. With the aid of student loans and part-time jobs, Jeilah obtained a BSc Hons. (U of T) and a law degree (Osgoode Hall).

As a leading lawyer in her field, Jeilah delivers strategic advice on transactions involving intellectual property (IP), and IP enforcement, commercialization, and branding.

Jeilah is serving a two-year term as the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian IP Review Law Journal. She is recognized in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Managing IP, World's Leading Trademark Professionals, Chambers Global and Canada, and Legal 500. Jeilah is also involved in other charitable endeavors, including Chiefs In IP (an organization promoting women in policy, technology and law) and the MINA Project (a charity that challenges inequalities and systemic barriers faced by racialized and underserved youth).

Jeilah is forever grateful for the kindness and generosity of Canadians and the opportunities Canada affords its citizens. Taking an active role in the Samara Centre for Democracy strongly resonates with Jeilah’s appreciation for Canada's stable and democratic society.

In 2007, Michael co-founded the Samara Centre for Democracy, and continues to serve as Chair of the Board of Directors.

In 2011, he co-founded and is CEO of Blue Ant Media, a company that produces, distributes, and broadcasts television programming internationally.

In 1978, Michael co-founded Atlantis Films Limited with fellow Queen’s University grads Seaton McLean and Janice Platt. He was Chairman and CEO of Atlantis (which later became Alliance Atlantis) for almost 30 years.

Michael is also the co-founder and co-owner of Closson Chase Vineyard and Winery in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

A member of the Order of Canada, Michael has volunteered with numerous community and industry organizations over many years. He is a Senior Fellow at Massey College and co-author of the book Tragedy in the Commons.

As Partner and VP Strategy for Northweather, Zain Velji brings a decade of experience in political, business, and non-profit communications, as well as marketing and engagement. Zain is also a frequent public speaker and regular political commentator who appears weekly on CBC radio and television and appearing federal election coverage for CTV and Bell Media.

Zain chairs the board of The Canadian Children’s Book Centre, and serves on the boards of the YMCA Calgary, Samara Centre for Democracy, and Pillar 9. His consulting and political experience has allowed him to work for companies and non-profits as well as notable political campaigns, serving as campaign manager for Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi in 2017.

Zain is also the host of the award-winning podcast The Strategists, where he dissects political strategy and public affairs issues of the day and the host of the Zain Velji show on Newstalk 1010. He was named one of Calgary’s Top 40 under 40 by Avenue and was awarded the Horizon Alumni Award by the University of Alberta.

Zain has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Alberta.

Chad Rogers is a strategist, entrepreneur and founding partner at Crestview Strategy, a public affairs agency. Chad helps leaders, companies, and industry associations face crisis head on, make their case, and get things approved.

The Hill Times magazine named Chad one of the ‘Top 100 Lobbyists’ in Canada. A sought-after media commentator, he’s been a member of the ‘Power Panel’ on CBC Television’s Power & Politics. A recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for public service, Chad serves as Honourary Consul of the Republic of Kosovo in Canada.

As a Country Director with the Washington, DC-based National Democratic Institute under chair Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, he’s worked with governments and political leaders around the world. He has advised leaders Armenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cayman Islands, Croatia, Georgia, Iraq, Jordan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Pakistan, Serbia, Trinidad & Tobago, and Ukraine.

Chad is an active board member of Action Against Hunger, True Patriot Love Foundation, the Samara Centre for Democracy, and Journalists for Human Rights.

Originally from Prince Edward Island, Chad resides in Toronto with his partner Mark.

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Ruth Ostrower is an executive assistant supporting Michael MacMillan across both his business and philanthropic endeavours. Previously, she served as the executive assistant to Michael when he was the chairman and CEO of Alliance Atlantis. Prior to joining Alliance Atlantis (then Atlantis Communications), she worked for 12 years in the finance industry, primarily in Human Resources. She is the past president of the Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival, where she has volunteered for many years, and is also an active supporter of theatre and dance.

Liban Abokor is the Executive Director of Youth LEAPS, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving educational and employment outcomes for Black youth in Toronto. Liban was a founding member of Ontario's Premier's Council on Youth Opportunities, which guided the development of Ontario's Youth Action Plan and Youth Opportunities Fund.

Liban is a dedicated volunteer who has served on the boards of the Laidlaw Foundation, Central Neighbourhood House, and the Catherine Donnelly Foundation. He is now sitting on the board of Shoot For Peace and is a member of the City of Toronto's Economic Development and Culture Division's Program Advisory Committee.

He is also a co-author of the UNFUNDED report and a co-founder of the Foundation for Black Communities, Canada's first-ever philanthropic foundation dedicated to investing directly in Black communities by supporting Black-led, serving and focused non-profits and charities.

Liban holds a Doctor of Laws from Carleton University.

Alex is the Project Coordinator for the SAMbot initiative, which examines how online toxicity affects civic engagement during Canadian elections. He was drawn to the SAMbot project due to his personal and academic interests on how discourse within Canadian politics has changed during the digital age.

Alex is a recent graduate of McMaster University’s Master of Public Policy in Digital Society program, where his research focused on digital privacy law, digital democracy, and the spread of dis- and misinformation online, all within a Canadian context. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Communications, Leadership, and Culture from the University of Prince Edward Island. Through holding previous working roles in research, communications, public affairs, and municipal government, Alex has had experience working within both the non-profit sector and public service.

Beyond online discourse, Alex is passionate about issues surrounding equity within public education, digital literacy, and youth engagement.

alex@samaracentre.ca

Beatrice is an award-winning researcher, teacher and passionate advocate for participatory democracy. She has taught popular courses on youth democratic activism at Harvard University, the University of Sydney and New York University. She holds an PhD from New York University and a Masters degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and has received major grants to conduct research across Canada, the United States and Ethiopia.

In addition to her academic research and teaching, she has served on steering committees and provided her research and pedagogical expertise to a variety of non-profit organizations and educational publishers, including Students Learn Students Vote, Scholastic Books, and the Faculty Network for Student Voting Rights. She is one of the founders of the Student Vote Research Network. She is frequently asked to provide commentary on democratic engagement and civic participation for diverse media outlets.

beatrice@samaracentre.ca

Sabreena Delhon is the Chief Executive Officer of the Samara Centre for Democracy. She has over a decade of experience directing multi-stakeholder research and outreach initiatives that have made an impact across justice, academic, and non-profit sectors. Sabreena has appeared as an expert witness before Parliamentary committees on matters relating to political participation and frequently provides commentary about democratic engagement for various media outlets such as the Globe & Mail, CBC Radio and the Toronto Star. She is the host of Humans of the House, a podcast that explores the lived experience of former Members of Parliament. Sabreena previously held senior roles at the Law Society of Ontario and advised non-profit leaders on how to increase engagement with target audiences. She holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Alberta, an MA in Sociology from Dalhousie University and is a Senior Fellow at Massey College. Sabreena is on the board of the Provocation Ideas Festival.

sabreena@samaracentre.ca