The 2023 National Citizenship and Immigration Conference (June 7,8, and 9, 2023 )

Richard Wex

Mr. Wex was appointed Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada in July, 2018. From 2015-2018, Mr. Wex was the Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Prior to this appointment, he served as Vice-President of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) responsible for policy and program development.  From 2007 to 2013, Mr. Wex served as Assistant Deputy Minister of the Law Enforcement and Policing Branch at Public Safety Canada, where he provided strategic leadership and policy advice to the Minister of Public Safety.  Prior to joining Public Safety Canada, Mr. Wex held a number of executive positions with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Department of Justice. He began his public service career with the Department of Justice, practicing in the areas of Public and Aboriginal law, and providing the full range of advisory, negotiation and litigation services. Mr. Wex has a Bachelor of Laws degree (L.L.B.) from Queen's University, and is a member of the Law Society of Ontario. He is a graduate of the Public Service Advanced Leadership Program, and the Senior Managers in Government Program from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  He is a recipient of both the Public Service Award of Excellence as well as the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to Canada.

The Honourable Sean Fraser

The Honourable Sean Fraser was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Central Nova in 2015. Minister Fraser previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance from 2019 to 2021, and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change from 2018 to 2019. In 2021, he also served concurrently as Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister. Before entering politics, Minister Fraser had a successful legal career with one of Canada’s top-ranked law firms, where he practised commercial litigation and international dispute resolution. He is a long-time volunteer, having served as the Vice-President of a local branch of the United Nations Association in Canada, acted as a Research Fellow with the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law, and provided pro bono legal services to the local BGC Club and vulnerable community members. Minister Fraser holds a law degree from Dalhousie University, a Master’s degree in Public International Law from Leiden University in the Netherlands, and a Bachelor of Science from St. Francis Xavier University. Minister Fraser grew up in Pictou County, and has family throughout the Town and County of Antigonish. He enjoys spending time in Central Nova with his wife, Sarah, and their children, Molly and Jack.

The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Naheed Nenshi, A’paistootsiipsii, was sworn in as Calgary's 36th mayor on October 25, 2010 and was re-elected in 2013 and 2017.

Prior to being elected, Mayor Nenshi was with McKinsey and Company, later forming his own business to help public, private and non-profit organizations grow. He designed policy for the Government of Alberta, helped create a Canadian strategy for The Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy, and worked with the United Nations to determine how business can help the poorest people on the planet. He then entered academia, where he was Canada's first tenured professor in the field of nonprofit management, at Mount Royal University's Bissett School of Business.

For his work, Mayor Nenshi was named a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, was awarded the President’s Award from the Canadian Institute of Planners, and received the Humanitarian Award from the Canadian Psychological Association for his contributions to community mental health. In 2013, after his stewardship of the community during devastating flooding, Maclean’s magazine called him the second-most influential person in Canada, after the Prime Minister. He was also awarded the 2014 World Mayor Prize by the UK-based City Mayor’s Foundation as the best mayor in the world.

In 2014, he was also honoured by Elder Pete Standing Alone with the Blackfoot name A’paistootsiipsii, which means "Clan Leader" or "He who moves camp and the others follow". In 2016, Elder Bruce Starlight of the Tsuu T'ina First Nation honoured him with the name Iitiya: "Always Ready".

Mayor Nenshi holds a Bachelor of Commerce (with distinction) from the University of Calgary, where he was President of the Students' Union, and a Master in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he studied as a Kennedy Fellow.

Jean-Nicolas Beuze

Jean-Nicolas Beuze worked for more than 20 years with the United Nations in the areas of Human Rights (OHCHR), Peacekeeping (DPKO) and UNICEF at Headquarters and in the field (Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Afghanistan and the Middle-East and North Africa region) before joining UNHCR in Lebanon as Deputy Representative for Protection and Inter-Agency Coordination. Prior to joining UNHCR, he was the UNICEF Child Protection Advisor for the MENA region (2010-13) working on emergency responses in Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and strengthening public child protection and education systems in the region. He was previously appointed as the Deputy Director of the Human Rights Unit of UN Peace-Keeping/DPKO mission in Afghanistan/UNAMA (2008-10) focusing on women’s rights, elections, poverty and the protection of civilians. He previously worked as a Research Director in a human rights think-tank (International Council on Human Rights Policy) on issues of peace agreements, transitional justice, national human rights institutions and the reform of the UN human rights system. Jean-Nicolas Beuze holds a LL.M in international human rights law from Essex University, UK, and a Master in international relations from the Graduate Institute of International Relations, Geneva/Switzerland.

Janet Dench

2016 AWARD RECIPIENT: JANET DENCH - CANADIAN COUNCIL FOR REFUGEES

The Canadian Council for Refugees is a national non-profit umbrella organization committed to the rights and protection of refugees and other vulnerable migrants in Canada and around the world, and to the settlement of refugees and immigrants in Canada. Its membership is made up of organizations involved in the settlement, sponsorship, and protection of refugees and immigrants. The CCR serves the networking, information-exchange, and advocacy needs of its membership.

Visit the CCR website for more information.

Mario Dion

A Montréal native, Mr. Dion, now a retired lawyer, obtained a law degree from the University of Ottawa in 1979.  Mr. Dion began his legal career in 1980 as a legal advisor at the then-Ministry of the Solicitor General.  In 1988, he became the Assistant Deputy Minister of Communications, Evaluation and Research at Corrections Canada. From Corrections Canada, Mr. Dion moved to the Department of Justice where he became the Assistant Deputy Minister of Corporate Services in 1992.  In 1995 he was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Justice.  From 1996 to 1997 he served as Deputy Clerk and Counsel at the Privy Council Office, responsible for Legislative House Planning and Machinery of Government and then returned to the Department of Justice as Associate Deputy Minister. In 2003, Mr. Dion was appointed Deputy Minister of Indian Residential Schools Resolution of Canada, where he led efforts to bring closure to 16,000 pending litigation files and, ultimately, the historic 2006 agreement with former residential school students. Mr. Dion also served as Chairperson of the National Parole Board from 2006-2009 and most recently as Commissioner of Public Sector Integrity from 2011-2014. In 2015, Mr. Dion was appointed as Chairperson of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.