The Great Divide: February 6th and 7th 2012
Featuring: Marc Garneau, David Miller, Senator Douglas Roche, Brian Lilley, Barbara Kay and many more
Dear Faculty Advisors and Students,
We are pleased to invite you to the twenty-ninth annual World Affairs Conference (WAC) at Upper Canada College in Toronto, Canada. The theme of this year’s conference is The Great Divide. During our 29th session, we hope to explore the ways in which political, humanitarian, and cultural issues are divided under a changing global horizon. It promises to inspire exciting and thought-provoking debate.
This year's WAC will take place on February 6 and 7, 2012. The event begins on the night of February 6 with the Lionel Gelber Keynote Address. Past speakers have included Ralph Nader, Stephen Lewis, Izzeldin Abuelaish, Jeffrey Sachs, and Dambisa Moyo. On February 7, students will attend a morning panel discussion, two of eight plenary sessions, as well as small group discussions. WAC provides students with a unique opportunity to explore a range of international issues. Through a combination of intriguing discourse and inter-student dialogue, it affords each student the chance to develop his or her own informed opinions.
Please register your students as soon as possible to ensure delegate spots. We look forward to your participation in WAC!
Sarah Fadel
Conference Co-Chair
Omar Abboud
Conference C0-Chair
Sara Franklin-White
Kaleem Hawa
Celebrating its twenty-ninth year, WAC has established itself as one of the most successful annual student organized conventions in North America. Providing a forum for students and the opinions of global leaders, WAC facilitates discussion on pertinent world issues.
Focused on a central theme, the annual two-day conference has discussed topics ranging from demographics, human rights, gender issues, justice and health ethics. This years conference will investigate multiple perspectives on multiple issues, with our theme "The Great Divide."
Over the years, WAC has maintained its goal of broadening its participants horizons. Providing an accessible, educational and diverse environment, WAC continues to encourage delegates to explore issues beyond themselves and their communities. Students are truly at the centre of the conference, seeking elusive answers to hard-hitting questions. WAC provides essential exposure for students to global issues and debate.
This year, the World Affairs Conference is pleased to welcome Mr. Marc Garneau for its Keynote address.
A household name, Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in Outer Space following his flight in the Space Shuttle Challenger.
During his 15 years as a Canadian astronaut, Marc Garneau would fly on three space missions and log over 677 hours in space.
Throughout, Mr. Garneau remained a passionate advocate for space exploration and a strong educator in his role as President of the Canadian Space Agency from 2001 to 2005.
Following his retirement from the Space Agency, Mr. Garneau was elected during the 2008 federal election to be the Liberal candidate in the Montreal riding of Westmount - Ville-Marie. He was later re-elected in 2011.
A recipient of the Order of Canada, Mr. Garneau is very excited to be the keynote speaker at the World Affairs Conference this year.
In recent years, governments have often been presented with the ever-troubling dilemma: security or civil liberties? Of course, the two aren't mutually exclusive, but more often than not, they conflict. In the United States, some may argue that Guantanamo Bay limits the people's civil liberties and that the US PATRIOT ACT encroaches upon the rights of all citizens.
On the other hand, others maintain that measures like the U.S. Patriot Act are in fact critical for the insurance of national security.
How much should we be willing to forfeit our liberties in the name of fighting crime and terrorism? Should the state put the collective good over the rights of individuals? All of these questions will be debated at our exciting morning panel. Students will also have the opportunity to ask questions to experts with a wide array of perspectives on the matter. It should prove to be a truly exciting and enlightening panel.
Panelist 1 - Coleen Rowley
Panelist 2 - Allan Cutler
Panelist 3 - Michael Thompson
Mr. David Miller was the 63rd Mayor of Toronto, serving from 2003 to 2010. During his tenure as the city’s top executive, Mr. Miller was a strong advocate for environmental sustainability, balancing the Toronto municipal budget, cleaning up city hall, and broadening the reach of the TTC, among others. Although first registered as a New Democrat at the beginning of his political career, Mr. Miller chose not to renew his party membership in 2007 to avoid partisanship in city hall.
Like many Canadians, Mr. Miller immigrated to Canada as a child in 1967, moving to Toronto in 1981. He went on to gain an economics degree from Harvard University and then a law degree from the University of Toronto, before becoming a practicing employment and immigration lawyer at Toronto’s Aird and Berlis law firm.
Mr. Miller was first elected to the Toronto City Council in 1997 and he quickly became known for his exemplary work on the council, earning the title of “Best Councillor” by Toronto Life magazine in 2000. Building off of this success, Mr. Miller was elected mayor of Toronto in 2003 with a mandate to make Toronto one of the most prosperous, livable, and green cities in North America. After three years as the city’s mayor, Mr. Miller was re-elected in 2006 with nearly 60% of the vote, reaffirming his popularity among the people of his city.
As mayor of Toronto, Mr. Miller has become known for his many accomplishments throughout the city. In the area of environmental sustainability, Mr. Miller has introduced the “Clean and Beautiful” city initiative, through which municipal funds were directed to green programs such as litter pickup, clean-ups of public space, and the installation of energy-efficient traffic lights. As well, Mr. Miller has made plans for the city to significantly reduce its emissions of carbon dioxide in the coming years, as well as for the repair of aging city water and sewage systems.
As well, Mr. Miller played in an important role in bringing integrity back to city hall. In this regard, he created a mandatory lobbyist registry, reformed the bureaucracy of city hall, strongly supported the non-partisan nature of the city’s municipal government, and appointed the city’s first ever Integrity Commissioner.
Finally, as mayor, Mr. Miller played a key role in expanding the reach and reliability of the Toronto Transit Commission. In this role, he called for more dedicated bus lines and increased light rapid transit throughout the city, which is cheaper and reaches a larger number of Toronto residents than subway lines.
Mr. Miller chose not to run for re-election as Mayor of Toronto in 2010 and currently splits his time between his home in Toronto and his work in New York City. He is married and has two children.
Note: Both the Morning Panel and Closing Panel are watched by all World Affairs Conference attendees.
The Morning Panel initiates the Conference on Tuesday February 7th while the Closing Panel serves as a conclusion to the Conference on the same day.
This plenary will discuss the controversial issue of nuclear power. Is it sustainable? Is it dangerous? Is it simply a quick solution to the severe problem of climate change, or is it our best hope?
Many people who argue for the use of nuclear power say it is safe, affordable and most importantly environmentally friendly. However with recent nuclear catastrophes such as Fukushima a new light has been shone on nuclear power and whether or not it is a safe form of harnessing energy.
At the nuclear power plant in Fukushima there were several equipment failures prompted by a tsunami off the coast of Japan. These failures led to nuclear meltdowns and radioactive material were dispersed into the atmosphere and some workers were exposed to dangerous amounts of radioactive materials.
So, the question remains: to what extent do the alleged risks of nuclear energy outweigh the benefits?
The world is changing and even if the United States of America and the European Union continue to act as important players on the global stage, they have to compete with other countries, most of all – China.
With its growing economy, large positive trade imbalance, and rapidly expanding foreign exchange reserves, China has become one of the most influential countries in the World.
As a result of this, the question that must be addressed is “Will China ultimately have a positive or negative influence on the Western World?”
On one hand, China is doing the western world, specifically Canada and The United States a favor by exporting cheap goods and products that are affordable for many citizens of the west.
On the other hand, China is expanding their sphere of influence and their growing economy may adversely affect numerous economies in the west.
In this plenary, we will address the social, political, economic and environmental implications of China’s growing footprint.
We hope that by the end, you will be able to answer the question: China, Friend or Foe?
In the 21st century, women are becoming very successful in the multiple fields of work and study that they chose. However, many are wondering whether this means that women have reached equal status with men and are starting to ask: Is feminism dead?
Some believe that women have surpassed equal rights while others would argue that equality has not been achieved.
Supporting feminism in this debate is Hans Rollman, an active defender of women rights in Canadian politics, who has most recently defended abortion rights in Canada.
Opposing her point of view will be Barbara Kay, a columnist for the National Post, who believes that the feminist movement has been corrupted by radical ideologies.
Both speakers will strive to answer a question of great dissension: is feminism still an unsolvable struggle for equality or have we found workable solutions?
Drugs poison the lives of normal people and affect communities every day. In the United States and Canada, drugs are an ever present issue. In Latin America, this issue has become a conflict.
Latin Amerca is at war - a drug war. Have their efforts in combating the drug cartels been effective thus far? What can Canadians and Americans do to limit the power of the cartels? Is there any hope for those living in communities dominated by the drug trade?
Anti-union sentiment has accelerated rapidly since the global financial crisis of 2008.
In the past, politicians have been unwilling to confront powerful public-sector unions, who have secured good wages, pensions and benefits for their members. As politicians are being forced to confront monumental deficits, they have begun to confront the public sector unions whose demands consume an ever-growing slice of the budget.
Many politicians claim that government unions force taxpayers to pay more, yet receive less in services. The electorate is often on their side, resenting government unions that demand more compensation at a time when private sector workers are losing their jobs or coping with deep pay cuts.
Union leaders claim that their members are being forced to pay, through wage freezes and concessions, for the effects of a global financial crisis they did not create.
Many conservatives have heralded the demise of public-sector unions altogether. While such an outcome is unlikely, how these well-entrenched organizations weather the onslaught remains to be seen.
Starting in Tunisia, uprisings have spread like wildfire to countries like Algeria, Yemen, Jordan and Egypt, in what has been dubbed the "Arab Spring".
These protests, demonstrations, and uprisings have resulted in changes in traditional economic and social orders. Established dictators have been overthrown and governments have been replaced.
Understanding this new, emerging world order will be crucial in ensuring the relevance and effectiveness of Western diplomacy in the region in the coming years.
The next US election is slated for November 2012. This decision will not only change the course of the American politics, but will also affect the rest of the world.
At this plenary, supporters of both parties will debate the key issues that ultimately will decide who becomes the next President of the United States.
Through an analysis of economic policy, immigration, social influences and foreign affairs, our speakers will present the case for who they want in the White House.
This controversial issue and its practice is embroiled in ethical and moral controversy, and mostly a legal one. Should it be illegal to pay for sex? Should the act of selling sex be a right? Are sex workers more often than not forced into their job to feed their families? Is it wrong for them to be forced into these positions that are sometimes considered degrading? These questions and more will be scrutinized in this debate, which will explore the different forces and perspectives surrounding prostitution, such as the social, political, health and economic effects on both prostitutes, those involved in this profession and the community. Both those for the decriminalization of prostitution, and those against, will try to convince you. But in the end, it is up to you to decide: is it illegal to pay for sex?
Note: All World Affairs Conference attendees get a choice of 2 plenaries to watch throughout the duration of the Conference on Tuesday, February 7th.
If you would like to attend WAC, please register with the attached document below. Please be aware that registration without payment cannot be processed. Do not hesitate to with any questions or concerns.
Dates
Early Deadline — $45 by December 10th, 2011
Final Deadline — $55 by January 20th, 2012
contact us
WAC REGISTRATION PACKAGE ONLINE.pdf
Monday February 6th 2012
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Registration
7:00 PM - 7:15 PM Introduction to the Conference
7:15 PM - 8:00 PM Lionel Gelber Keynote Address
8:00 PM - 8:30 PM Question and Answer Period
Tuesday February 7th 2012
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Registration
9:00 AM – 10:15 AM Morning Panel
10:15 AM – 10:30 AM Break
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM Plenary Session #1
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM Small Group Discussion #1
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Plenary Session #2
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM Small Group Discussion #2
2:30 PM – 3:15 PM Closing Session
The World Affairs Conference takes place at Upper Canada College (UCC) situated at 200 Lonsdale Road, Toronto. It is a 15 minute walk from St. Clair subway station and approximately a 30 minute drive from Toronto Pearson International Airport.
If you have any questions about the World Affairs Conference, or how to get involved do not hesitate to contact us at:
Email: worldaffairsconference_gmail.com
Tel: (416) 488-1125 ext 3310
Fax: (416) 484-8611
World Affairs Conference
Upper Canada College
200 Lonsdale Road
Toronto, ON, Canada
M4V 1W6
Speaking against nuclear power and for nuclear disarmament will be Senator Douglas Roche, O.C, an author, parliamentarian and diplomat who was appointed as Canada’s Ambassador for Disarmament in 1984 and who served as a senator from 1998-2004. He holds eight honorary doctorates from Canadian and American universities and has received numerous awards for his work for peace and non-violence, including the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation for World Peace Award (Canada) and the United Nations Association's Medal of Honour. Senator Roche is the author of 20 books, his most recent being How We Stopped Loving the Bomb.
Speaking for nuclear power will be Denise Carpenter, president and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Association. Prior to this, Ms. Carpenter was Senior Vice President, Public and Government Affairs, with EPCOR Utilities Inc.. Ms. Carpenter supports nuclear energy vehemently and believes it provides a stable source of energy on top of being extremely safety oriented. As stated by Ms. Carpenter herself “In more than 45 years of operation, not once have we experienced a significant incident, largely due to our reactors’ robust design, as well as the industry’s unwavering commitment to a “safety first” culture.”
Alan S Alexandroff is currently the Director of Online Research and the Director of the Digital20 Project at the Munk School of Global Affairs, the University of Toronto. Dr. Alexandroff leads efforts designed to evaluate the adequacy and evolution of global summitry and the institutional and policy proposals in the international system.
Dr. Alexandroff focuses his research work on global summitry and the contemporary global governance influence of the rising states, particularly China. Dr. Alexandroff received his B.A., cum laude with distinction in all subjects from Cornell University, an M.A. and Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University, an M.A. in International History from the London School of Political Science and Economics and an L.L.B. from McGill Law School.
Joseph Wong is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, where he holds a Canada Research Chair in Democratization, Health and Development. Wong is also the Director of the University of Toronto’s Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs. Wong’s research interests are in comparative public policy and political economy, with a regional focus on Asia and China. His published articles have appeared in Politics and Society, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, Comparative Political Studies, Journal of East Asian Studies, among others. Wong is the author of Healthy Democracies: Welfare Politics in Taiwan and South Korea (Cornell University Press, 2004), co-editor (with Edward Friedman) and contributor to Political Transitions in Dominant Party Systems: Learning to Lose (Routledge, 2008) and author of Betting on Biotech: Innovation Beyond the Developmental State (forthcoming, 2011, Cornell University Press). Professor Wong has been a visiting scholar at Harvard and Seoul National University, and he was recently elected Senior Member, St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford. He received his BA from McGill University and his MA and PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Hans Rollmann is a journalist and labour activist from Newfoundland and Labrador who’s currently a PhD candidate in Women’s Studies at York University in Toronto.
As a journalist, he’s worked in the field of radio-broadcasting and community radio, and is currently a reporter, columnist and Opinions Editor for The Independent in Newfoundland and Labrador. As a labour activist, he’s worked with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). As a feminist, he’s worked with the Newfoundland and Labrador Sexual Assault Crisis and Prevention Centre, the NL Human Rights and Gender Identity Working Group, and served on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood Newfoundland and Labrador. He’s also been awarded the ‘Vagina Warrior’ award for his work against violence against women in Newfoundland and Labrador.
He’s also worked as an English teacher in Japan, an archaeologist in Central America, and a food bank director in Canada.
Today, he spends his time conducting research into gender equity and the labour movement, and setting straight those who don’t realize feminism is the way of the future.
Barbara Kay is a well-known columnist with the National Post newspaper in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Barbara graduated from the University of Toronto in English Language and Literature and received her M.A. in Literature from McGill University with a specialty in the modern American novel.
She received a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship upon graduation from the University of Toronto.
Barbara taught Literature and Composition at Concordia University, Mariannopolis College, Dawson College, and Vanier College for many years.
She has also taught courses in Critical Reading at private and public institutions in Montreal, such as The Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts and the Jewish Public Library.
Barbara is a well known book reviewer on the circuit of Montreal’s private and institutional book clubs.
Barbara founded and is the editor in chief of FIRSTFRUITS, an annual anthology of creative writing published by the Jewish Public Library, in publication for over twenty years.
Barbara was a frequent contributor of op/eds, book reviews and humour pieces to the National Post, then became a Comment page columnist (Wednesdays) in September, 2003.
Barbara has served on and chaired many communications, cultural and fundraising committees at the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts and the Jewish Public Library. She was Chairman of Jewish Book Month for several years. She is a past president of the Jewish Public Library. As well, she served on the officers’ group of Canadian Jewish Congress/ Quebec Region.
Barbara served on the board of Cité libre for several years and was a frequent contributor to the magazine.
Milburn Line joined the IPJ in August 2009, following more than 15 years of work in international missions and projects, principally in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia and Guatemala, as well as shorter periods in Africa, China, Latin America and the Middle East. His range of experience, from working with local communities, human rights defenders and refugees to international missions and national authorities, shapes his vision for peace and justice initiatives that will attempt to connect the IPJ from local scenarios through to advocacy efforts at a policy level. He will work with the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies to integrate efforts by the institute, school, university and greater San Diego community in the promotion of peace and justice initiatives worldwide.
Before joining the IPJ Line served as director of a $37 million human rights program in Colombia funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a project designed to prevent and respond to human rights abuses and protect vulnerable groups, as well as support civil society organizations to monitor human rights and public policies and advocate for victims’ rights to truth, justice and reparations.
Prior to his work in Colombia, Line worked with the Club of Madrid, an organization of former heads of state and government that addresses democratization challenges with national authorities at the highest levels. From 2001 to 2004, Line was the director of a USAID-funded Human Rights and Reconciliation Program in Guatemala. During the 1990s he worked with the Office of the High Representative and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Bosnia and Herzegovina; the United Nations Human Rights Verification Mission in Guatemala; Catholic Relief Services; and the Columbia University Center for the Study of Human Rights.
Major Neill Franklin is a 34-year law enforcement veteran of the Maryland State Police and Baltimore Police Department. During his time on the force, he held the position of commander for the Education and Training Division and the Bureau of Drug and Criminal Enforcement. Major Franklin instituted and oversaw the very first Domestic Violence Investigative Units for the Maryland State Police. After 23 years of dedicated service to the Maryland State Police, he was recruited in 2000 by the Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department to reconstruct and command Baltimore’s Education and Training Section.
Early in his career, Neill served as a narcotics agent with the Maryland State police, focusing on everything from high-level drug dealers in the Washington suburbs to the guy growing one marijuana plant on his balcony. Neill was proud of his work and the hundreds of arrests he executed. “I had been taught that the people who use and sell drugs are trash, and that we needed to put those people behind bars forever.”
Howard Levitt is senior partner of Levitt LLP, employment and labour lawyers. He practises employment law in eight provinces. Howard writes a weekly column in the National Post and is the author of Canada's leading dismissal text book, The Law of Dismissal in Canada and Editor-In-Chief of the national law report, The Dismissal and Employment Law Digest.
Howard Levitt also practises all aspects of management labour relations law including certification and decertification of trade unions and in a variety of matters before labour relations boards and tribunals, employment standards and human rights tribunals and before arbitrators and adjudicators.
He taught arbitration law at the University of Toronto for several years in the early 1980's.
Warren (Smokey) Thomas was elected president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union on April 20, 2007, after serving three terms (six years) as First vice president and Treasurer.
The 55-year old registered practical nurse has been an OPSEU activist for 25 years beginning as president of Local 431 at the Ontario Psychiatric Hospital in Kingston, Ont. He was elected to OPSEU’s Executive Board in 1993.
OPSEU's active membership consists of 125,000 public sector workers in Ontario.
He has participated in countless campaigns on behalf of OPSEU members and was an outspoken leader against Bob Rae's “social contract” in 1993, and later during the Ontario Public Service strikes protesting the policies of the Harris-Eves Government in 1996 and 2002.
Thomas is married to wife Val and is a father of five sons.
Dr. Saeed Rahnema is award-winning Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at York University. He has served as the Director of the York School of Public Policy and Administration, and Coordinator of the Political Science program at Atkinson Faculty. In his homeland Iran, he was a member of the Industrial Management Institute. Later he served as an officer of the United Nation Development Program, and as a Director of the Middle East Economic Association (MEEA). He has written several books and numerous articles in English and Persian on Middle East political economy, Islam, and Muslim diasporas and is a frequent commentator on Canadian and international media.
Tarek Fatah is a secular Muslim who was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and lived there for 29 years. His parents had moved to Pakistan from Bombay, India, very soon after the sub-continent was partitioned by the departing British.
Fatah is the founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress. He is an advocate for gay rights, a separation of religion and state, opposition to Sharia law, and a “liberal, progressive form" of Islam.
Mr. Fatah has made a case against Islamism in the book Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State (Wiley 2008), in which he suggests that instead of pursuing the goal of an illusive “Islamic State,” Muslims should try to attain a “State of Islam.”
His next book traces the roots of Muslim-Jewish friction through history leading up to the Israel-Palestine dispute. The Jew is Not My Enemy: Unveiling the Myths that Fuel Muslim Anti-Semitism is expected to hit the bookstores in October this year. It is published by McClelland & Stewart.
Mr. Fatah has been married for 35 years to Nargis Tapal, whom he met in Karachi. They have two daughters, Natasha and Nazia.
Chief U.S. political writer Konrad Yakabuski is The Globe and Mail's chief U.S. political writer, based in Washington. He covers all aspects of the American political scene, including relevant social and cultural issues.
Prior to joining the Washington bureau in 2009, Mr. Yakabuski was based in The Globe's Montreal bureau and wrote on Quebec business, politics and culture for more than a decade. He previously worked as a political reporter at Le Devoir.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from McGill University and a Master of Science in Business Administration degree from the University of British Columbia.
Brian Lilley is host of Byline on Sun News Network, a daily show that follows the stories that matter to Canadians. Brian also writes regularly in the pages of Sun Media newspapers including a column each Friday. Brian also spent 10 years covering politics on talk radio in several major Canadian markets including Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. His work has been featured on CNN TV and Radio, CBS Radio and on some of the top talks shows in Canada. Brian lives in Ottawa with his wife and four children.
Coleen Rowley grew up in a small town in northeast Iowa and later graduated from the College of Law at the University of Iowa with honors in 1980, and was subsequently appointed a Special Agent with the FBI.
In May of 2002 Rowley brought some of the pre 9-11 lapses to light and testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee about some of the endemic problems facing the FBI and the intelligence community. Rowley's memo to FBI Director Robert Mueller in connection with the Joint Intelligence Committee's Inquiry led to a two year long Department of Justice Inspector General investigation. She was one of three whistleblowers chosen as persons of the year by TIME magazine.
In April 2003, following an unsuccessful and highly criticized attempt to warn the Director and other administration officials about the dangers of launching the invasion of Iraq, Rowley returned to being a FBI Special Agent. She retired from the FBI at the end of 2004 and now speaks publicly to various groups, ranging from school children to business, professional and civic groups.
In February 2005 and again in 2007, a majority of Minnesota congresspersons and senators nominated Rowley to serve on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board.
Rowley has authored a chapter on “Civil Liberties and Effective Investigation” in Patriotism, Democracy and Common Sense: Restoring America's Promise at Home and Abroad, a book published in 2004 by the Milton Eisenhower Foundation. Rowley’s updated paper “How Top Secret America Misfires” is published in Fix America: How Each of Us Can Help All of Us. She also ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Congress in Minnesota's Second Congressional District in 2006.
Rowley and her husband Ross have four children and two grandchildren and she still competes in short triathlons.
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Allan Cutler is likely Canada’s most famous public servant. In 1996, he raised concerns about the procurement of government contracts, which led to the investigation of the federal sponsorship scandal and the establishment of the Gomery Commission.
In his role as a procurement officer in the Public Works Department, Cutler refused to sign off on contracts that he felt broke the rules. He was warned he would pay a price for his refusal. Cutler lost his job as a result. He was later reinstated in another department, and continues to speak out about ethics and integrity.
“Allan was singled out for praise by Judge Gomery in his report,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper, “Some citizens have said he deserves the Order of Canada.”
Cutler holds a degree in economics from Carleton University, and is an expert in ethical public procurement and sustainability. He has lectured across the country on policy issues related to integrity in government and whistle-blowing legislation.
A skilled negotiator and troubleshooter, Cutler built a reputation in civil service based on years of leadership and integrity. He is a director of the Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform (FAIR), a member of several professional organizations and public committees, and a longstanding contributor to community service organizations at the local and national levels. Cutler has a keen understanding of government and a proven commitment to seeing it work effectively.
Cutler was born and raised in Ottawa where he lives today with his wife Linda. They have two children, Kevin and Wendy, and are the proud grandparents of Spencer.
A City Councillor for Scarborough Centre since 2003, Michael is an outspoken proponent of community safety and a tireless worker on behalf of the City and his Ward.
Michael Thompson is Chair of Toronto's Economic Development and Culture Committee, member of the City's Police Services Board and the City Councillor representing Ward 37 in Scarborough Centre. In his seven years at City Hall, he has earned a reputation as a community-focused consensus builder and one of Toronto's hardest working Councillors. Prior to entering politics, Michael earned his business credentials as an entrepreneur in the business and financial services sector. He is the recipient of the African Achievement Award for Excellence in Politics and the Bob Marley Award.
Michael is a leader who knows how to get things done at City Hall. His strong advocacy for public safety in the face of increased gun violence ultimately led to the development of a city-wide Community Safety Plan, a GTA-wide police task force on guns and gangs, an increase in the numbers of police officers on the street and a new young offender program designed to divert young people into jobs instead of jail.
Michael's work on behalf of the community led to his re-election with the highest number of votes and the highest margin of victory of any Councillor in the 2006 City of Toronto municipal election.
Raised in Scarborough Centre, Michael graduated from Ionview Public School, Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate and Concordia University, where he received a BA degree in Economics. Prior to entering politics, Michael worked in the financial services industry and later founded and ran a successful business services company.
Nikki Thomas is the Executive Director of Sex Professionals of Canada, and an active sex trade worker. She began sex work at the age of 26, to pay her tuition costs when she returned to university.
Nikki has degrees in Political Science, Sexual Diversity Studies, and Psychology, all from the
Univeristy of Toronto, and will soon be pursuing graduate studies, to become a sex therapist. She works to dispel myths and stereotypes about sex workers, and believes everyone, regardless of job choice, has a right to safe and healthy working conditions.
C. Gwendolyn Landolt graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of British Columbia, Canada and was called to the British Columbia Bar.
She has had an extensive legal career in private practice, as a Crown prosecutor and as a lawyer with the federal government where she specialized in immigration and aboriginal affairs.
Gwen has written extensively on constitutional issues, in particular the Canadian Charter of Rights and has participated in many cases before the Supreme Court of Canada on pro-life and pro-family issues.
Gwen is one of the founders and is currently National Vice President of REAL Women of Canada, a national women's organization founded in 1983. The organization is committed to the protection of the traditional family and human life, both in Canada and internationally. REAL Women is an NGO in SPECIAL consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
Sarah Sahagian was born and raised in Toronto, where she graduated from Branksome Hall before going on to Queen’s university to pursue a bachelor’s degree in history and gender studies. Sarah then went on to earn a master’s degree in gender studies from the London School of Economics, where she was the recipient of the 2008 LSE graduate merit scholarship, a scholarship awarded to the top 30 incoming master’s students. Upon completing her master’s degree, Sarah began her PhD in Women’s Studies at Toronto’s York University, where she was the recipient of the Elia scholarship, which is reserved for the three top PhD students at that university in any field.
Sarah has self-identified as a feminist activist since she was three years old and started a feminist club in her junior Kindergarten class. This summer, Sarah will be presenting a piece on racism in film at UNESCO’s official cultural studies conference in Paris. She has also written for various feminist publications, and is the editor of the forthcoming Demeter Press title Mother of Invention: How our Mothers Have Influenced Us as Feminist Activists and Academics.
Terri-Jean Bedford, born 15 October 1959, was formerly a prostitute and now works as a professional dominatrix. She calls herself "Canada's most famous Dominatrix."
Ms. Bedford headed up the Supreme Court of Ontario Bedford v. Canada case. The case represented a legal challenge to Canada's prostitution laws filed in the Superior Court of Ontario in 2007, which argued that Canada's prostitution laws were unconstitutional.
As a result of the trial, on September 28, 2010, Justice Susan Himel issued her decision. She rules Canada’s prostitution laws unconstitutional and struck them down.
