2024 Consultation Speakers | Canadian Council for Refugees

Meet this year's presenters

(Information subject to changes and will be updated as new details become available)

Kitigan Zibi Elder

Claudette Commanda

Elder and Chancellor, Claudette Commanda is an Algonquin Anishinabe from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation located in the province of Quebec. An alumni of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Common Law and Faculty of Arts, Claudette has dedicated the last 40 years promoting First Nations people, history, culture and rights in various capacities as a University of Ottawa student, professor, member and chair of the Aboriginal education council; and via public speaking events.

She is a professor for the University of Ottawa’s Institute of Women’s Studies; Faculty of Education; Faculty of Law; and the Aboriginal Studies Program, teaching courses on First Nations Women; Native Education; First Nations People and History; Indigenous Traditions; and Decolonization. In addition, she is the Chief Executive Officer of the First Nations Confederacy of Cultural Education Centres, a national organization which protects and promotes First Nations culture, languages and traditional knowledge. She is inducted into the Common Law Honour Society; served two terms on the Board of Governors for the First Nations University of Canada; and three terms on the Kitigan Zibi band council.

In 2017, Claudette is the first First Nation appointed Elder in Residence for the Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa; and the first person of a First Nation heritage to be appointed to the Board of Governors for the University of Ottawa. She is the Special Advisor on Reconciliation, for the Dean, Faculty of Law. Claudette is a proud mother of four and a grandmother to ten beautiful grandchildren. In March 2020, Claudette received the 2020 INDSPIRE Award for Culture, Heritage and Spirituality. In November 2022, she was appointed Chancellor for the University of Ottawa.

She is the first Indigenous person to be appointed Chancellor of the University. In September 2024, she received the King Charles II Coronation medal for her outstanding work in First Nation people, history and culture, nationally and internationally.

Speaker at:
Opening Plenary - Building Power across Sectors: Reclaiming support for refugees and newcomers – Tuesday, November 26, 10:30am-12:30pm

Plenary speakers

Anat Shenker Osorio

Host of the Words to Win By podcast and Principal and Founder of ASO Communications, Anat Shenker-Osorio examines why certain messages falter where others deliver.

She has led research for new messaging on issues ranging from freedom to join together in union to clean energy and from immigrant rights to reforming criminal justice. Anat's original approach through priming experiments, task-based testing and online dial surveys has led to progressive electoral and policy victories across the globe.

Anat delivers her findings packed in snark at venues such as the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Centre for Australian Progress, Irish Migrant Centre, Open Society Foundations, Ford Foundation and LUSH International.

Her writing and research is profiled in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Boston Globe, Salon, The Guardian and Grist among others. She is the author of Don't Buy It: The Trouble with Talking Nonsense About the Economy.

Speaker at:
Plenary #3 – Wednesday, November 27, 7:30pm-9pm

Toula Drimonis

Toula Drimonis is a Montreal-based journalist, opinion columnist, and news producer. A former news director for TC Media, her byline has appeared in national and international publications, with a focus on politics, social justice, immigration, and women’s issues.

Drimonis has worked in television, radio, and print in all three of her languages, and has appeared on TV as both panelist and contributor to English and French-language current-affairs and cultural news shows. She was also on the advisory board for Use the Right Words, a national media guide on how to report on sexual violence.

In 2022 she published her first book, We, the Others: Allophones, Immigrants, and Belonging in Canada. It was later translated into French as Nous, les autres. Her second book, Seeking Asylum: Building a Shareable World about the plight of refugees and asylum seekers and the politics of Roxham Road was published in 2024.

Drimonis currently writes a weekly opinion column for the Montreal Gazette and Cult MTL, as well as a monthly column for national magazine, for The Walrus.

Speaker at:
Plenary #4 – Thursday, November 28, 9:30am-11:30am

Stephen Brown

Stephen Brown is the CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM). He is a well-known leader and community organizer with decades of experience in the private sector, in organized labour, and in human rights advocacy.

Stephen started his career as a continual improvement professional in the manufacturing sector. He returned to university to earn his Commerce degree in business technology management at Concordia University in Montreal, where he joined the student movement and became the director of the Concordia Student Union Advocacy Centre. There he founded the office for graduate students, managed operations, and advised student leaders on student rights and academic issues.

After starting his own tech start-up that he ran for a number of years, Stephen went on to become an organizer for one of the largest labour unions in Canada, where he dealt with accreditation cases and organized tens of thousands of workers where he managed labour relations, negotiated collective agreements, and took on grievances and health & safety cases. Stephen held consecutive mandates as the head labour representative for large locals in the healthcare and municipal sectors where he led teams of litigators, lawyers, and pension fund specialists.

Stephen comes from an Afro-Canadian family that was active during the civil rights movement.

Stephen has been a long-standing leader within the Quebec Muslim community, working to promote human rights, interfaith dialogue, and Muslim youth initiatives as well as helping community groups to develop various advocacy initiatives and implement best practices. A prolific speaker, his writings have been published in various news media and he has been a commentator on public policy matters including Bill 21, civil liberties and Islamophobia, and Muslims in Quebec.

Speaker at:
Opening Plenary - Building Power across Sectors: Reclaiming support for refugees and newcomers – Tuesday, November 26, 10:30am-12:30pm

JP Hornick

JP Hornick is the President of OPSEU/SEFPO, one of Canada’s largest provincial public sector unions, representing more than 180,000 members across Ontario.

OPSEU/SEFPO members work for the Ontario government, inside community colleges, for the LCBO, in health care, and in workplaces and community agencies across the broader public service.

Hornick is a long-time labour activist and believes the power of the labour movement is in working with social justice movements for deep change. Hornick’s organizing and activism centres in anti-racism and anti-oppression frameworks and is rooted in a deep belief that we as workers are most powerful when we are part of a bigger struggle for justice.

Speaker at:
Opening Plenary - Building Power across Sectors: Reclaiming support for refugees and newcomers – Tuesday, November 26, 10:30am-12:30pm

Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah

Debbie is the Co-Director of Policy and Advocacy at Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights. Before joining Action Canada, she was the Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity (CCGSD) and has been instrumental in advancing the rights of 2SLGBTQ+ youth and communities.

She has spoken at Parliamentary and Senate standing committees, and has appeared in numerous media outlets. She has held several advocacy and policy-oriented positions in government and non-profit organizations, including Oxfam Canada and Global Affairs Canada.

Debbie is an accomplished community educator, feminist activist, and social justice advocate driven by the mission of creating a more inclusive, equitable, and safe world. She has continued to dedicate her time to local progressive organizing, including most recently, as a commissioner for the Ottawa People's Commission on the Convoy Occupation.

Speaker at:
Opening Plenary - Building Power across Sectors: Reclaiming support for refugees and newcomers – Tuesday, November 26, 10:30am-12:30pm

Catherine Lussier

A human rights activist for 20 years, Catherine is coordinator of the Front d'action populaire en réaménagement urbain. She has also worked on housing committees in Montreal.

Speaker at:
Opening Plenary - Building Power across Sectors: Reclaiming support for refugees and newcomers – Tuesday, November 26, 10:30am-12:30pm

Workshop speakers

Alexis Graham

Alexis Graham is the Director General of the Asylum Services Branch within the Government of Canada’s Department of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). In her 18 years as a public servant, she has had the privilege of designing and delivering many policies and programs within both social and economic spheres.

In addition to working at IRCC for the past 4 years on humanitarian and asylum-related issues, Alexis has contributed to other federal government departments, including Global Affairs, Treasury Board Secretariat and the Privy Council office. Alexis holds a Master’s Degree from Carleton University in Public Administration, and is certified by IDEO in human-centred design methods.

Speaker at:
Workshop A1: The need for a National Plan for Asylum with Dignity – Tuesday, November 26, 1:30pm-3pm

Deanna Vecchiarelli

Deanna began her career in homelessness services in 2007, working at a homeless shelter in Ottawa as a frontline worker. In 2010, she began working part-time at the City of Ottawa, soon moving into a permanent position with Housing Services. Now, she is the Program Manager of Homelessness Programs & Funding with the City of Ottawa's Housing & Homelessness Services. She is passionate about finding solutions to homelessness, housing affordability, and poverty. As the proud daughter of an immigrant and the spouse of a newcomer, she is equally passionate about immigration, particularly how they intersect with housing and homelessness in communities.

Speaker at:
Workshop A1: The need for a National Plan for Asylum with Dignity – Tuesday, November 26, 1:30pm-3pm

Paola Carmagnani

Paola Carmagnani is an international human rights and social justice practitioner with nearly twenty years of experience with international non-governmental organizations in Central and South-East Asia and Europe engaged in peaceful conflict resolution, international advocacy, human rights defender protection and social justice program delivery.

In 2019, Paola joined the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking as Hotline Response Advocate, worked as Senior Executive Advisor before joining the stakeholder engagement and partnership department.

Speaker at:
Workshop A2: International Students: Commodification and systemic issues setting the ground for exploitation and abuse – Tuesday, November 26, 1:30pm-3pm

Stefan Enrique Joseph Kallikaden

Stefan Enrique Joseph Kallikaden is the Youth & Access To Education Coordinator at FCJ Refugee Centre in Toronto, Ontario, and is a graduate from the Community Worker Program at George Brown College.

They have worked in the sector since 2018 in various capacities, are the 2024 recipient of the Ontario Human Rights Commission Daniel G. Hill Human Rights Award as a Young Leader, and have a strong passion in youth rights and access to education. They work with an intersectional and anti-racist/anti-oppressive framework and emphasize an equity rooted approach to integration and invitation while working in and with community. As a former International Student and precarious migrant, their work is centered around giving people the tools to facilitate the process of informing their futures by themselves and avoid being at the mercy of gatekept system navigation information.

Speaker at:
Workshop A2: International Students: Commodification and systemic issues setting the ground for exploitation and abuse – Tuesday, November 26, 1:30pm-3pm
Moderator at:
Workshop D2: Current Immigration Policies and their Effects on Young Newcomers – Wednesday, November 27, 11am-12:30pm

Imtenan Abd-El-Razik

Imtenan Abd-El-Razik is an immigration staff lawyer at Waterloo Region Community Legal Services (WRCLS). She studied science at York University before obtaining her law degree from the University of Toronto.

After her call to the Ontario Bar, Imtenan worked at the Cairo-based NGO Africa & Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA), representing refugees before the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. For several years before joining WRCLS, Imtenan ran her own practice in Toronto focusing on Middle East and North African refugee claims. She has taught at Queen's University and the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, and is a co-Chair of the CCR's Legal Affairs Committee.

Speaker at:
Workshop A3: CCR’s Legal Affairs Committee – Public Interest Litigation and Standing – Tuesday, November 26, 1:30pm-3pm

Jamie Liew

Jamie Chai Yun Liew is an immigration lawyer, professor and writer. She has appeared at the Immigration and Refugee Board, Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. She is the author of the novel Dandelion, longlisted for Canada Reads 2023 and Ghost Citizens: Decolonial Apparitions of Stateless, Foreign and Wayward Figures in Law.

Speaker at:
Workshop A3: CCR’s Legal Affairs Committee – Public Interest Litigation and Standing – Tuesday, November 26, 1:30pm-3pm

Jennifer Stone

Jennie Stone (She/Her) is the Executive Director of Neighbourhood Legal Services (NLS) and Manager of the Health Justice Program (HJP). She was NLS’ staff immigration lawyer from 2011-2018 and the onsite lawyer for the HJP from 2018-2019.

Prior to joining NLS she co-founded the Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre (now Justice Centre HK) which advocates for the rights of refugee claimants and other marginalized migrants in the HKSAR. She is currently the co-chair of the Canadian Council for Refugees’ Legal Affairs Committee.

Speaker at:
Workshop A3: CCR’s Legal Affairs Committee – Public Interest Litigation and Standing – Tuesday, November 26, 1:30pm-3pm

Maryse Poisson

Speaker at:
Workshop A4: Mobilizing Our Communities: Service Providers, Advocacy, and Allyship – Tuesday, November 26, 1:30pm-3pm

Camille Bonenfant

Camille Bonenfant is co-coordinator and community organizer of the Migrant Justice Clinic. She has been involved in migrant justice movements such as Solidarités sans frontières for over a decade.

Speaker at:
Workshop A4: Mobilizing Our Communities: Service Providers, Advocacy, and Allyship – Tuesday, November 26, 1:30pm-3pm

Damhat Zagros

Speaker at:
Workshop A4: Mobilizing Our Communities: Service Providers, Advocacy, and Allyship – Tuesday, November 26, 1:30pm-3pm

Laïla Demirdache

Laïla Demirdache has been working as a staff lawyer with Community Legal Services of Ottawa for over 20 years where she has providing legal representation advice in both English and French in the area of immigration and refugee law.

Laïla has also been involved in a variety of advocacy initiatives including litigation as co-counsel on behalf of immigrant and refugee-serving organizations before the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada and the Ontario Court of Appeal as well as at Coroners Inquests into the death of detainees on immigration hold. She has also been a member of a number of committees for both CARL and the Canadian Council for Refugees.

Laïla is often appointed by all four of the Immigration and Refugee Board’s Divisions to act as a Designated Representative for people who, because of their mental health or age, are unable to appreciate the nature of the proceedings.

Speaker at:
Workshop B1: Emerging Issues in Immigration Detention – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Julia Sande

As a lawyer with Amnesty International Canada, Julia works to uphold the rights of refugees and migrants through public interest litigation, campaigning, research, and UN advocacy. She previously worked for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and NYU’s Centre for Human Rights and Global Justice.

Speaker at:
Workshop B1: Emerging Issues in Immigration Detention – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Subodh Bharati

Subodh is a lawyer with a focus on immigration detention and constitutional issues. He is currently adjunct faculty at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. Within the law school, he is also a supervising counsel at the Community & Legal Aid Services Program (CLASP), a clinical intensive program for students.

Speaker at:
Workshop B1: Emerging Issues in Immigration Detention – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Carl Desmarais

Carl Desmarais joined the Canada Border Services Agency in 2008 as part of the Corporate Affairs Branch and since 2011, has held numerous executive positions within intelligence, security and enforcement functions, most recently as the Director General of the Inland Enforcement Directorate.

Throughout, Carl has led efforts in: program management and delivery; policy development; strategic and business planning; performance measurement; project management; and, transformation and change management.

Carl Desmarais joined the CBSA in 2008 as part of the Corporate Affairs Branch and since 2011, has held numerous executive positions within intelligence, security and enforcement functions, most recently as the Director General of the Inland Enforcement Directorate. Throughout, Carl has led efforts in: program management and delivery; policy development; strategic and business planning; performance measurement; project management; and, transformation and change management.

Beginning in 2016, Carl has led the modernization of Canada’s immigration detention program through the implementation of the National Immigration Detention Framework, an initiative designed to improve conditions of detention and related infrastructure. In his current role as Director General, Inland Enforcement, Carl is the functional lead responsible for national operational delivery of the immigration enforcement continuum including investigations, hearings, detentions and removals.

Carl began his public service career in 1999 at the then Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Between 2003 and 2008, Carl also occupied various positions at the Canada Revenue Agency.

Carl holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from the École nationale d'administration publique and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Ottawa.

Speaker at:
Workshop B1: Emerging Issues in Immigration Detention – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Gabriel Allahdua

Gabriel Allahdua is a former migrant farm worker from St Lucia, an island in the Eastern Caribbean. He is an organizer with the collective, Justice for Migrant Workers (J4MW) for almost a decade. He is currently an Education and Mobilization Officer with the Association for the Rights of Household and farm Workers (RHFW) and an Outreach Worker working with migrant workers across Ontario.

He was Activist in Residence (AIR) at the University of Guelph, the first person to hold that position, which brought activists and researchers together.

He is the author of the recently published award winning book Harvesting Freedom by publisher "Between the Lines".

Speaker at:
Workshop B2: Building Stronger Support Systems for Migrant Workers in Canada – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Hannah Deegan

Hannah is responsible for RHFW’s advocacy and education initiatives. In this role, she conducts research, prepares submissions to legislative bodies and government departments, and coordinates RHFW’s participation in coalitions and committees with other migrant justice and workers' rights organizations.

Most notably, she has been actively involved in RHFW’s End Migrant Worker Unfreedom constitutional class action, a legal challenge of state measures restricting migrant workers’ right to change employers freely.

Speaker at:
Workshop B2: Building Stronger Support Systems for Migrant Workers in Canada – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Clarizze Truscott

Clarizze Truscott has been an activist in support of the needs of Filipinos and other migrants almost since the day she arrived in Canada in 1991.

A business leader in her new home, Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, she helped organize a response to the first wave of temporary foreign workers, helping find accommodation, basic furniture and even transportation in the form of bicycles. In 2006 she was part of a protest held in Edmonton City Centre calling for better treatment of Temporary Foreign Workers.

She helped found Fort Saskatchewan’s first Filipino organization, Kabisig Society of Fort Saskatchewan in 2013, and joined Migrante Alberta that same year. This led to her being part of an even larger protest against then Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenny’s temporary foreign worker program moratorium in 2014. From 2021 through 2024, Clarizze was the Vice Chair of Migrante Canada, and she remains an active member of Migrante Alberta as well as President of Kabisig Society.

Clarizze strongly believes in forging alliances. In her own community she works with the local library, the family & community support services within the City of Fort Saskatchewan, the Fort Saskatchewan Boys & Girls Club, and the local RCMP on anti-racism initiatives and consultations.

Speaker at:
Workshop B2: Building Stronger Support Systems for Migrant Workers in Canada – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Syn Amanuel

Syn Amanuel, RCIC-IRB, is the founder of Selamta Immigration Services, which she established in 2016 with a primary focus on refugees. With 16 years of prior volunteer experience as a host, interpreter, and assisting with immigration forms, Syn is working with clients from diverse ethnic backgrounds, including both immigrants and native-born Canadians.

Syn holds an L3 RCIC-IRB Unrestricted Practice license from the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). This license grants her the authority for unrestricted practice, allowing her to represent clients before Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) as well as all four divisions of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB): the Immigration Division (ID), Immigration Appeal Division (IAD), Refugee Protection Division (RPD), and Refugee Appeal Division (RAD).

Syn, born in Eritrea, came to Canada as a Government-sponsored refugee in 2001. Her personal immigration journey is deeply intertwined with her decision to become an RCIC in 2016, fueling her passion for helping others navigate the immigration process. Her firsthand experience enables her to empathize with refugees and advocate effectively, helping them secure their future in Canada or maintain the status they have acquired. This connection allows her to not only understand her clients’ stories but also to find solutions within the often-rigid structure of the Canadian immigration system.

Syn has been actively involved in various legal and community organizations since arriving in Canada, and she continues her volunteer work to this day. She is a member of the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) and Black African RCIC. She has also served as a board director for International Ave BRZ in Calgary since 2019.

Speaker at:
Workshop B3: Refugee Resettlement Process from Africa under PSR: Challenges with IRCC and IOM – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Mouin Rabbani

Mouin Rabbani is a researcher, analyst, and commentator specialising in Palestinian affairs, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the contemporary Middle East. He has among other positions served as Principal Political Affairs Officer with the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Head of Middle East with the Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, Senior Middle East Analyst and Special Advisor on Israel-Palestine with the International Crisis Group, and Researcher with Al-Haq, West Bank affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists.

Rabbani is Co-Editor of Jadaliyya, where he also hosts the Connections podcast and edits its Quick Thoughts feature; Managing Editor and Associate Editor of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development; and a Contributing Editor of Middle East Report. He is Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies (CHS), Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), and the Middle East Council on Global Affairs.

A graduate of Tufts University and Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS), Rabbani has published, presented and commented widely on Middle East issues, including for most major print, television and digital media.

Speaker at:
Workshop B4: Root Causes of Palestinian Displacement and Anti-Palestinian Racism: from 1948 to Today – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Dr. Yipeng Ge

Dr. Yipeng Ge is a primary care physician and public health practitioner based on the traditional, unceded, and unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg. In his clinical practice, he works in family medicine practice and refugee health at a community health centre.

He has worked on and studied the structural and colonial determinants of health in both the settler colonial contexts of so-called Canada and occupied Palestine. Having witnessed the atrocities in Gaza firsthand as a humanitarian medical volunteer, Dr. Ge leverages his direct experiences to raise awareness and educate the Canadian public about global injustices.

Speaker at:
Workshop B4: Root Causes of Palestinian Displacement and Anti-Palestinian Racism: from 1948 to Today – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Ameena Sultan

Ameena Sultan practices exclusively in the areas of immigration and refugee law. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto, spending a year studying Arabic language at the American University in Cairo. Ameena graduated from the Faculty of Law at McGill University and was called to the Ontario bar in 2002. She is a co-founding member of the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association. In her practice, Ameena represents many Palestinian clients.

Speaker at:
Workshop B4: Root Causes of Palestinian Displacement and Anti-Palestinian Racism: from 1948 to Today – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Rosa Arteaga

Speaker at:
Workshop C1: Untold stories: combating sexual violence against women and LGBTQ+ migrants – Wednesday, November 27, 9am-10:30am

Deepa Mattoo

Deepa Mattoo is a dedicated lawyer and intersectional feminist recognized for her commitment to advancing equity, anti-oppression, and anti-racism. Her extensive career spans various legal and leadership roles.

Since 2019, Deepa has served as the Executive Director of the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, overseeing multiple departments and directing the Clinic’s intervention and advocacy efforts. She has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada, Parliamentary committees, and UN civil society meetings, advocating on a broad spectrum of social justice and human rights issues. In 2023, Deepa was appointed to the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee (DVDRC).

Deepa has trained thousands of service providers to support forced marriage survivors, racialized non-status women, and clients navigating immigration law. Since 2017, she has shared her expertise as an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School through numerous speaking engagements and interviews. Deepa's contributions have been recognized with several awards, including the Spirit of Schlifer Award in 2015 and the Law Society Medal and Women of Distinction Award in 2022 for her advocacy and access to justice efforts. In 2023, she received the Ontario Bar Association Award for Excellence in the Promotion of Women's Equality and the Desi Achiever’s Award for her exceptional contributions to human rights and access to justice. In 2024, Deepa was honoured with an Honorary Degree from Humber College in recognition of her contributions to social justice and equity.

Speaker at:
Workshop C1: Untold stories: combating sexual violence against women and LGBTQ+ migrants – Wednesday, November 27, 9am-10:30am
Workshop D1: Government dialogue: Accountability for Advancing Anti Racism in Refugee and Immigration Policy – Wednesday, November 27, 11am-12:30pm

Vicky Zois

Vicky Zois is a Montreal-based Coordinator and Psychosocial intervention worker at the Movement Against Rape and Incest (MCVI).

Her role at the center is to support survivors and to accompany them through various legal systems, to raise awareness on sexual violence, and to engage in solidarity work with organizations focused on advancing women and migrant rights. With over thirteen years of experience in the community sector, a global feminist, anti-oppressive and human rights-based approach guides her work with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, including migrant women with a precarious immigration status.

Speaker at:
Workshop C1: Untold stories: combating sexual violence against women and LGBTQ+ migrants – Wednesday, November 27, 9am-10:30am

Stéphanie Verdon

Stéphanie Verdon is a psychotherapist, family and conjugal therapist and psychoeducator. She has worked in the healthcare network with young people and families with mental health problems.

She currently works with asylum seekers at the Réseau d'intervention auprès des personnes ayant subi la violence organisée, and is responsible for external training given to organizations. She works with an integrative, transcultural and trauma-sensitive approach, and is trained in the somatic experience approach. She is also involved in raising awareness and defending the rights of migrants with precarious status.

Speaker at:
Workshop C2: Unpacking collective care and trauma-informed organizations in the sector – Wednesday, November 27, 9am-10:30am

Maral Bolourian

Maral Bolourian is the Director of Counselling Services at the Barbra Schlifer Clinic. She has worked in the social service sector for over 12 years and has over seven years of management experience in sectors such as VAW, Housing, Mental Health, and Addiction.

With a bachelor’s in Social Work and a Master’s in Early Childhood Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University, she has a deep understanding of frameworks and modalities such as anti-oppression and anti-racism practices, client-centered approaches, harm reduction, and trauma-informed approaches to counselling and care. She started her career in the VAW sector – managing shelters, a transitional Housing program, and community programs for Women who have survived violence and their children. More specifically, she has worked closely with cases of forced marriage and so-called honour-based violence – working with marginalized and racialized populations and overseeing case management to support Women through their healing journey.

Speaker at:
Workshop C2: Unpacking collective care and trauma-informed organizations in the sector – Wednesday, November 27, 9am-10:30am

Victor Setibo

Victor graduated in 2017 from the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University (California, USA) with a master’s degree in theology focusing on sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Based in Goma, he has been serving as JRS Country Director in DRC since February 2023. Victor has previously served as Project Director and Assistant programs officer for the JRS West Africa Region in the Central Africa Republic (CAR).

Speaker at:
Workshop C3: Extractive industries and forced displacement in the Democratic Republic of Congo – Wednesday, November 27, 9am-10:30am

Catherine Coumans

Catherine Coumans has coordinated research and the Asia-Pacific program at MiningWatch Canada for 25 years. Departing from a rights-based perspective, Catherine has worked in solidarity with communities and Indigenous peoples affected by Canadian mining companies in more than ten Asia-Pacific countries and in Tanzania.

The Canadian government appointed Catherine as an advisor in National Roundtables on the Canadian Extractive Industry in Developing Countries in 2006-07. She has provided expert testimony on mining in congressional inquiries in the Philippines, before the Constitutional Court in Indonesian, and for Canadian Parliamentary and Senate committees, as well as in an Amici Brief for the Supreme Court of the United States. MiningWatch is a founding organization of the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability where Catherine provides strategic leadership on the steering committee.

Following fieldwork in Marinduque, Philippines, she holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology and has published on mining in more than 18 peer reviewed publications since 2008, including in the Canadian Journal of Development Studies; UBC Law Review; Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment; Current Anthropology; and The Extractive Industries and Society.

Speaker at:
Workshop C3: Extractive industries and forced displacement in the Democratic Republic of Congo – Wednesday, November 27, 9am-10:30am

Darcy Knoll

Darcy Knoll has nearly two decades of experience in communications in both domestic and international issues. He is currently the senior communications officer for the Canadian office of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leading the communications and external relations team.

Prior to joining UNHCR, he served as communications advisor for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board from 2019-2024, supporting media relations and issues management through the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of challenging topics in education. From 2012 to 2019, he worked with CARE Canada, handling media relations during major international crises, including conflicts in Syria, Yemen, and South Sudan, as well as natural disasters like the Nepal earthquakes and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Darcy earned a Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University.

Speaker at:
C4: Messaging for Reclaiming Public Support for refugees and Migrants – Wednesday, November 27, 9am-10:30am

Louisa Taylor

Louisa Taylor is the founding director of Refugee 613, a Canadian communications hub dedicated to the welcome and integration of refugees. Refugee 613 is a research and practice organization that applies strategic communications, cross-sector collaboration, content development and digital innovation to a variety of refugee support activities, including settlement information delivery, private sponsorship and community collaborations.

An award-winning journalist in her previous life and a private sponsor in her personal life, Louisa also provides strategic communications advice to people and organizations working for social change in Canada and beyond.

Speaker at:
C4: Messaging for Reclaiming Public Support for refugees and Migrants – Wednesday, November 27, 9am-10:30am
Moderator at:
Plenary: "Refuge from our Rhetoric: Developing a Narrative that Welcomes and Wins" – Wednesday, November 27, 7:30pm-9pm

Michael Farrell

Michael (Mike) Farrell has worked in the public service for 20 years, primarily in policy and research roles. In that time, his work spanned advancing equity-based approaches to addressing homelessness, reducing labour market barriers for equity-deserving groups, supporting reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, increasing protections for temporary foreign workers, and - most recently - strengthening the equity focus of IRCC as the founding Director General of the Equity Branch.

Prior to joining the public service, his career included roles in human rights and social justice advocacy, community economic development, engineering and the private sector. He has been active in volunteer work and has published articles on homelessness, poverty, and social and economic rights.

Mike grew up outside of Montréal, and has lived in Vancouver and Hanoi. He has a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from McGill University, and a Master’s degree in business administration from the University of Ottawa.

Speaker at:
Workshop D1: Government Dialogue: Accountability for Advancing Anti Racism in Refugee and Immigration Policy – Wednesday, November 27, 11am-12:30pm

Gilbert Iyamuremye

Gilbert Iyamuremye is the Director of the Refugee Ministries Office responsible for Inland Protection of Refugees and Overseas Protection of Refugees programs of the Roman Catholic Diocese of London in Ontario.

Based in Windsor, Gilbert directly manages the Private Sponsorship for Refugees program of the Diocese as Sponsorship Agreement Holder since 2002. Prior he worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Rwanda and Guinea in Africa for six (6) years.

Speaker at
Workshop D1: Government Dialogue: Accountability for Advancing Anti Racism in Refugee and Immigration Policy – Wednesday, November 27, 11am-12:30pm

Nhung Nguyen

Nhung Nguyen (she/her) is a proud Vietnamese-Canadian. She came to Canada in the 80s as a part of the wave of Vietnamese boat people who migrated to Canada. Nhung’s family started their lives in Canada in St. Thomas Ontario and later moved to Vancouver, British Columbia. It is there that she became aware of socio-economic divides and became interested in community services and support.

She currently resides in Ottawa, Ontario and is the Director of Workforce, Equity and Inclusion Programs at the Canada Border Services Agency. She is passionate about this important work and brings 20+ years of work and community experience to the table.

Speaker at
Workshop D1: Government Dialogue: Accountability for Advancing Anti Racism in Refugee and Immigration Policy – Wednesday, November 27, 11am-12:30pm

Mustafa Abbas

Almustafa Abbas is a social policy advocate with expertise in refugee rights, environmental sustainability, youth engagement, and politics. He wore multiple hats through his journey since 2018. And worked for many organizations such as Nature Canada, Climate Vulnerable Forum, and YOUNGO, and served as a UN Youth Delegate for Sudan. His ongoing work focuses on creating impactful policies for social justice.

Speaker at
Workshop D2: Current Immigration Policies and their Effects on Young Newcomers – Wednesday, November 27, 11am-12:30pm

Yankish Chahar

Yankish, an engineer by profession, is a member of the CCR Youth Network Core Team. Drawing from her own understanding of the challenges faced by newcomers in navigating a new country, she is committed to the role of community in fostering social justice and has actively supported newcomers through various initiatives over the years. Passionate about creating inclusive spaces, she is dedicated to fostering dialogue and collective action and looks forward to leading discussions in the upcoming workshop on current immigration policies and their impact.

Speaker at
Workshop D2: Current Immigration Policies and their Effects on Young Newcomers – Wednesday, November 27, 11am-12:30pm

Ana Zavalza

Ana is a dedicated student at Toronto Metropolitan University, specializing in Urban and Regional Planning, with a strong background in refugee support, community leadership, and organizational governance. As the Internal Operations Coordinator for the Canadian Council for Refugees' Core Team, she helps shape the direction of the Youth Network.

Fluent in both English and Spanish, Ana's skills in bridging cultural and linguistic gaps stem from her experience as an Interpreter at COMPASS Refugee Centre, making her a vital voice in immigration discussions. Her involvement with community- focused organizations like the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre, Capacity Canada, and GreenHouse at the University of Waterloo reflects her commitment to community development and positive social impact. Through these roles, she has created operational frameworks, mentored youth, and led impactful projects. Combining her planning background with governance training and technical expertise in computer engineering, Ana offers a unique perspective on inclusive policies and newcomer empowerment. Recognized with awards for service and social impact by the City of Kitchener, she is passionate about advocating for equitable opportunities for all.

Speaker at
Workshop D2: Current Immigration Policies and their Effects on Young Newcomers – Wednesday, November 27, 11am-12:30pm

Keith Neuman

Keith Neuman, Ph.D.,is Senior Associate with the Environics Institute for Survey Research, a non-profit research organization he helped found that conducts innovative public opinion and social research about Canada and Canadians. His work includes national research in such areas as immigration and refugee resettlement, race relations, social capital and social norms.

Over the past two decades he has conducted landmark studies with important but poorly understood communities, including urban Indigenous Peoples, the Black community, Muslims, and refugees from Syria. His professional career spans the public, private and non-profit sectors, and he holds a Ph.D. in Social Ecology from the University of California, Irvine.

Speaker at
D3: Looking globally, thinking locally: Best Practices for Building Public Support – Wednesday, November 27, 11am-12:30pm

Sarah Marinier Doucet

Sarah Marinier Doucet is currently associate legal advisor within the UNHCR protection unit, where she primarily focuses on cases related to the protection of minors asylum-seeking, the rights of detained individuals, and monitoring legislative changes impacting asylum seekers and refugees in Canada.

Previously, Sarah Marinier Doucet worked internationally for over six years, initially as a lawyer at the International Criminal Court for the Mali Situation and later in Senegal with an organization dedicated to defending the rights of people with disabilities.

Speaker at
D3: Looking globally, thinking locally: Best Practices for Building Public Support – Wednesday, November 27, 11am-12:30pm

James Milner

James Milner is Professor of Political Science at Carleton University. He is also currently Project Director of LERRN: The Local Engagement Refugee Research Network. He is also Co-Chair of GAIN, the Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network created by the Global Compact on Refugees and Director of the Migration and Diaspora Studies program at Carleton University.

He has been a researcher, practitioner and policy advisor on issues relating to the global refugee regime, global refugee policy and the politics of asylum in the global South. He has worked as a Consultant for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in India, Cameroon, Guinea and its Geneva Headquarters.

Speaker at
D3: Looking globally, thinking locally: Best Practices for Building Public Support – Wednesday, November 27, 11am-12:30pm

Moderators

Aleks Selim Dughman Manzur

Aleks Selim Dughman Manzur (J.D., LL.M.) (They/Them) is a transgender Palestinian born and raised primarily in Santiago, Chile. As a Chilean lawyer, Aleks specializes in human rights, reproductive and sexual health law, LGBTQI+ rights, and refugee advocacy. With an LL.M. from the University of Toronto, they currently serve as the Co-Executive Director of Rainbow Refugee.

Aleks previously led as President of the Canadian Council for Refugees and now contributes as an Executive Committee member. They are also the co-chair of From Borders to Belonging, a nationwide coalition of organizations in solidarity with LGBTQI refugees and asylum seekers.

Aleks’s work is focused on creating inclusive migration pathways for refugee protection and fostering communities of belonging for people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, expressions, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC). They design tailored programs and services for LGBTQI+ asylum seekers, refugee claimants, and refugees, advocating for their rights at various government levels locally and globally. Aleks also provides expert advisory services, represents Canada in international refugee protection forums, and conducts educational webinars and workshops for local and international organizations.

Moderator at:
2024 Opening Plenary: Building Power across Sectors: Reclaiming support for refugees and newcomers – Tuesday, November 26, 10:30am-12:30pm

Gauri Sreenivasan

Gauri Sreenivasan is Co Executive Director (Policy and Advocacy) at the CCR, and a leading policy advocate and strategist for human rights, equity and a thriving planet. Gauri brings over 30 years of experience working in leadership roles across civil society, Parliament Hill, and with academia and researchers to build alliances for change on Turtle Island and around the world.

She was most recently Policy and Campaigns Director for Nature Canada. Gauri also worked for 15 years at the Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC) as a senior analyst and team leader, as the Director of Parliamentary Affairs for the Official Opposition, and as a Policy and Research Director at the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Moderator at:
2024 Opening Plenary: Building Power across Sectors: Reclaiming support for refugees and newcomers – Tuesday, November 26, 10:30am-12:30pm
Workshop D1: Government Dialogue: Accountability for Advancing Anti Racism in Refugee and Immigration Policy – Wednesday, November 27, 11am-12:30pm

Eva Gracia-Turgeon

Eva Gracia Turgeon is the Executive Director at Foyer du Monde, a transitional shelter for precarious-status migrant families in Montreal, since 2020. With nearly 10 years' experience in the community and, more specifically, in immigration-related fields, Eva is an active advocate for access to services for precarious-status migrants, specifically in the area of housing, notably through the creation of the Regroupement des organismes en hébergement pour les personnes migrantes (ROHMI) in Quebec, on which she sits as treasurer.

Moderator at:
Workshop A1: The need for a National Plan for Asylum with Dignity – Tuesday, November 26, 1:30pm-3pm

Brad Kinnie

Brad has been with Journey Home Community for 15 years, including the last three as Executive Director. Based in Burnaby, BC, Journey Home Community provides refugee claimants who are experiencing homelessness with short-term emergency transitional housing, walk-alongside case management, and support to move to a first Canadian home.

Brad is passionate about creating welcoming communities where vulnerable refugee claimants are offered safe housing, relevant and timely supports, and relationships and connections that promote inclusion and belonging.

Moderator at:
Workshop A1: The need for a National Plan for Asylum with Dignity – Tuesday, November 26, 1:30pm-3pm

Melissa Claisse

Moderator at:
Workshop A4: Mobilizing Our Communities: Service Providers, Advocacy, and Allyship – Tuesday, November 26, 1:30pm-3pm

Harrold Babon

Moderator at:
Workshop A4: Mobilizing Our Communities: Service Providers, Advocacy, and Allyship – Tuesday, November 26, 1:30pm-3pm

Jessica Chandrashekar

Jessica Chandrashekar (she/her) is a lawyer and academic whose work broadly focuses on abolition and access to justice. Currently, Jessica works as a staff lawyer with Legal Aid Ontario’s Refugee Law Office as an immigration detention lawyer where she advocates for migrants detained throughout Ontario.

She is also enrolled in a PhD program at Osgoode Hall Law School. Jessica sits on CCR’s Executive Committee and is liaison to CCR’s legal affairs committee.

Moderator at:
Workshop B1: Emerging Issues in Immigration Detention – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Louis-Philippe Jannard

Louis-Philippe is the coordinator of the protection component of TCRI, the Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes. He has been involved in defending the rights of migrants and refugees for over fifteen years.

He holds a doctorate in law from the Université du Québec à Montréal (2023), and his doctoral research focused on the exercise of discretionary detention powers by Canada Border Services Agency personnel. Prior to joining the TCRI, he also worked for the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration, as well as for the Montreal office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Moderator at:
Workshop B1: Emerging Issues in Immigration Detention – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Tenzin Khentse

Tenzin Khentse is a dedicated human rights advocate and the Youth Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator at the FCJ Refugee Centre, where he specializes in supporting migrant workers. As a third-generation stateless Tibetan refugee shaped by the experience of forced displacement, he brings a unique perspective to his work. With an MA in Migration Studies from the Université de Lille, France, Tenzin has gained expertise in navigating complex Canadian immigration processes. His research focuses on the systemic barriers faced by migrant workers in Canada, with a particular emphasis on improving their protection and rights.

Moderator at:
Workshop B2: Building Stronger Support Systems for Migrant Workers in Canada – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Edwin Silang

Edwin is a certified Settlement Practitioner in Alberta, committed to serving his community as a member of the Community Support Services Program also known as the TFW program of Catholic Social Services. Edwin holds a degree in Information Technology from the Philippines but has directed his passion for social services and newcomer advocacy in the Settlement Sector where he has been working for ten (10) years. Edwin draws his strength and passion from his work as well as his own life experiences, having come to Canada as a Temporary Foreign worker himself.

Edwin also volunteers with the Rights and Welfare Action Committee, a service assistance committee of Alberta Workers Association for Research and Education and Migrante Alberta that provides support and assistance for vulnerable community members including non-status migrants.

Moderator at:
Workshop B2: Building Stronger Support Systems for Migrant Workers in Canada – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Nasreen Khadimi

Nasreen is a former refugee and immigrant who has dedicated the past three years to working with displaced refugees in Turkey. She has collaborated with various settlement agencies to help newcomers successfully integrate into Canada. Additionally, Nasreen is a passionate advocate for the rights of refugee women and girls, striving to ensure they have access to the support and resources they need to thrive in their new environments.

Moderator at:
Workshop B3: Refugee Resettlement Process from Africa under PSR: Challenges with IRCC and IOM – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Michelle Ndizeye

Michelle has always had a passion towards work around issues related to immigration and refugees. She has a strong background in social services including previous work as a Settlement Counselor and Interpreter. In her current role, she works closely with refugee sponsors in and around Ottawa, as well as in Eastern and Northern Ontario. Having now worked as an RSTP trainer in BC and Ottawa, she is excited to continue looking for ways to help others and make an impact in this field.

Moderator at:
Workshop B3: Refugee Resettlement Process from Africa under PSR: Challenges with IRCC and IOM – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Lena Awwad

Lena was born and raised in Palestine. She is a third generation Palestinian refugee, and her refugee roots precede the existence of the UNHCR. Her grandparents were expelled from their home in Lifta, a village near Jerusalem in 1948. Intimately aware of the challenges refugees face, Lena spent the majority of her life working and studying with and in refugee communities in various capacities.

Lena is currently the Research and Program’s Director at IslamicFamily, a social service agency based in Edmonton. She built the organization’s refugee sponsorship program from the ground up, and developed digital tools to scale the program and enhance oversight and documentation. She played a leading role in developing Rootson6, a digital storytelling platform that explores settler and indigenous experiences on treaty 6. Lena oversees a number of research initiatives, livelihood programs for newcomers, as well as prison programming and reentry support at IslamicFamily.

Moderator at:
Workshop B4: Root Causes of Palestinian Displacement and Anti-Palestinian Racism: from 1948 to Today – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm
Caucus 1: Palestinian refugees - From reflection to action... How can we get involved? – Tuesday, November 26, 5:15pm-6:15pm

Lauren Lallemand

Lauren Lallemand (she/elle) is a Co Executive Director at the Canadian Council for Refugees. She is a passionate advocate for human rights and social justice with over 10 years of experience working in international development and refugee advocacy. In this work she has focused on the intersections of gender, food security, foreign policy, and forced migration, with a particular focus on bringing multiple stakeholders together to enact collective change.

Moderator at:
Workshop B4: Root Causes of Palestinian Displacement and Anti-Palestinian Racism: from 1948 to Today – Tuesday, November 26, 3:30pm-5pm

Asma Faizi

Asma Faizi, Lawyer and President of Afghan Women’s Organization Refugee and Immigrant Services (AWO. For over twenty years Asma has been a staunch advocate at the national and international level on issues related to the plight of Afghan women, challenges faced by newcomers to Canada, and human rights issues for refugees worldwide. Asma became a Board member of the Afghan Women’s Organization (AWO) in 1998 and has been the President and Chair of its Board of Directors since 2008.

The AWO has been providing settlement services for over 30 years to newcomers to Canada with a special focus on women, their families, refugees, and people who have experienced war and persecution. The AWO has also had several home-based/underground schools and educational, capacity building, and income generation projects inside Afghanistan and in the refugee camps in Pakistan. The AWO also established an orphanage in 2004 in Kabul.

Asma is a lawyer and she currently runs a private practice specializing in refugee and immigration law. She holds a Master of Science in Pharmacology and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Toronto. She is currently enrolled in a Master of International Human Rights Law program at Oxford University. Before establishing her own practice, Asma practiced in all areas of intellectual property law, with particular focus on litigation, copyright law and patent law.

Moderator at:
Caucus 1: Palestinian refugees - From reflection to action... How can we get involved? – Tuesday, November 26, 5:15pm-6:15pm

Jacques Bertrand

Moderator at:
Caucus 2: Is your work threatened by intimidation and organized crime? – Tuesday, November 26, 5:15pm-6:15pm
Workshop C2: Unpacking collective care and trauma-informed organizations in the sector – Wednesday, November 27, 9am-10:30am

Basel Abou Hamrah

Basel is a Settlement Practitioner specializing in LGBTQ+ complex cases at the Newcomer Centre. His journey to Canada began in 2015 when he arrived as a refugee from Syria. He led the creation of the Rainbow Refuge Program, the first program of its kind in Edmonton to support LGBTQ+ newcomers community members with immigration and settlement.

He is also a co-leader of the LGBTQ+ Newcomer Edmonton Group. Basel’s combination of personal and professional experience provides him with unique insight that has contributed to shaping the creation of very specialized LGBTQ+ newcomers services in Edmonton. As the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal and the Stonewall 2021 Newcomers and Refugees Award, he is a strong advocate for the needs of the LGBTQ+ newcomer community. Helping others be their authentic selves able to thrive in their new home.

Moderator at:
Caucus 3: Secondary migration of refugee claimants – Tuesday, November 26, 5:15pm-6:15pm
Workshop C1: Untold stories: combating sexual violence against women and LGBTQ+ migrants – Wednesday, November 27, 9am-10:30am

Francesca Allodi-Ross

Francesca Allodi-Ross serves as Executive Director at Romero House, a community of welcome for refugee claimants in Toronto. Until 2022, Francesca was a lawyer, spending 10 years in community legal clinics providing free legal services to low-income Ontarians. Her primary focus was employment law. Francesca is a co-facilitator of the Yes! Toronto Jam, an annual retreat for social justice changemakers.

Moderator at:
Caucus 3: Secondary migration of refugee claimants – Tuesday, November 26, 5:15pm-6:15pm

Shelley Gilbert

Shelley Gilbert has worked as a social worker at Legal Assistance of Windsor since 1993 and is currently the Executive Director responsible for: Legal and social work services and community development initiatives, Facilitating and leading the delivery of interdisciplinary services, Developing and supporting staff initiatives to fill identified needs, enhance community capacities and promote social justice.

Shelley has been working with migrant worker communities and advocates for over 20 years. She is a founding member and supervises the Windsor Essex Counter Exploitation Network (WECEN) providing support and advocacy to survivors human trafficking and exploitation. She has conducted training and workshops for NGOs and law enforcement across the country. She has presented models of collaboration, policy gaps and best practice approaches at national and provincial conferences. She was awarded the Inspirational Leader Award by the Ontario Association of Social Workers in 2014, the Attorney General Victim Services Award of Distinction in 2016 as well as the Department of Justice Excellence in Victim Services Award in 2022.

Moderator at:
Caucus 4: Safety and security of staff and volunteers working to support migrant workers victim of abuse – Tuesday, November 26, 5:15pm-6:15pm

Claudia Limoli Cubria

Claudia has a BSc in Criminology from University of Montreal and an MSc in International Crimes and Conflict from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Her academic work focused on conflict, migration, humanitarian work, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, with a thesis researching these issues in the Colombian-Venezuelan borderlands. Claudia worked as a legal support caseworker at a shelter for women victims of violence before joining MCM in 2024 as a legal caseworker, where she assists migrants with legal procedures and improves their access to justice. She is fluent in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Mandarin.

Moderator at:
Workshop C1: Untold stories: combating sexual violence against women and LGBTQ+ migrants – Wednesday, November 27, 9am-10:30am

Hugo Ducharme

Hugo has been working in the sector since 2016. They began his career in the student movement and on the boards of various community and cultural organizations. After spending a few months at the LGBTQ+ Community Centre, where they gained initial experience working with refugee claimants from these communities, they was hired by Jesuit Refugee Service Canada to work on its sponsorship program. They continues to work there as sponsorship coordinator and office manager. For just over three years now, they has co-chaired the CCR's Overseas Protection and Resettlement Working Group. They has also written a feature article for a special issue of Lumen Vitae magazine in 2019.

Moderator at:
Caucus 1: Palestinian refugees - From reflection to action... How can we get involved? – Tuesday, November 26, 5:15pm-6:15pm
Workshop C3: Extractive industries and forced displacement in the Democratic Republic of Congo – Wednesday, November 27, 9am-10:30am

Brian Dyck

Brian has worked in refugee sponsorship at Mennonite Central Committee for 17 years, first at the Manitoba office and in the MCC Canada office since 2015. For seven years he was chair of the Sponsorship Agreement Holder Association.

Moderator at:
Workshop C3: Extractive industries and forced displacement in the Democratic Republic of Congo – Wednesday, November 27, 9am-10:30am

Ekat Barrios

Ekat has a background in working with youth from diverse backgrounds. She has just started working with refugee claimants at the Welcome Collective, a population she has wanted to work with for years. Ekat has a passion for community work, particularly with empowering youth in actualizing their goals.

Moderator at
Workshop D2: Current Immigration Policies and their Effects on Young Newcomers – Wednesday, November 27, 11am-12:30pm

Alina Murad

With a background in Political Science and Immigration Studies, Alina Murad has long held a passion for intersectional advocacy and justice. For three years she has worked at The Refugee Centre in the communications department and as the Advocacy Coordinator, building ongoing social campaigns and advocating for policy change.

Moderator at:
Workshop D3: Looking globally, thinking locally: Best Practices for Building Public Support – Wednesday, November 27, 11am-12:30pm

Camille Fournel

Camille Fournel has an academic background in international relations and conflict studies, with a strong commitment to human rights advocacy. For nearly two years, she has coordinated outreach efforts at The Refugee Centre, focusing on building and strengthening partnerships with other organizations and key stakeholders to enhance the impact of services, especially for refugees and refugee claimants.

Moderator at:
Workshop D3: Looking globally, thinking locally: Best Practices for Building Public Support – Wednesday, November 27, 11am-12:30pm