The Commission

The Honourable Paul S. Rouleau received his Bachelor of Administration in 1974 and his LL.B in 1977, both from the University of Ottawa. He then received his Master of Laws from York University in 1984. He was a partner with the law firms Heenan Blaikie from 2000 to 2002, Genest Murray, DesBrisay, Lamek from 1987 to 2000, and Cassels Brock & Blackwell from his call to the Bar in 1979 to 1987.

He was appointed as a Justice of the Superior Court of Ontario in 2002, and to the Court of Appeal for Ontario in 2005. He was also appointed as a Deputy Judge of the Supreme Court of Yukon in 2014, and of the Nunavut Court of Justice and the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories in 2017.

Since his appointments, Justice Rouleau has been actively involved in the continuing legal education of judges, both domestically and internationally, and of members of the Bar. He chairs the Ontario Attorney General’s Access to Justice in French Advisory Committee and is a member of the Board of Governors of the Law Commission of Ontario. He was a founding member of the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario – a francophone legal community and center of expertise in the province – and was its President from 1985 to 1987. He also served as Trustee of the Metropolitan Toronto Separate School Board from 1986 to 1991.

He is the recipient of several awards and recognitions, including an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from York University and the Ordre des francophones d’Amérique, awarded by the Conseil supérieur de la langue française du Québec. In 2005, he was inducted into the Common Law Honour Society of the University of Ottawa.

Shantona Chaudhury, a partner at Pape Chaudhury LLP, is a highly-regarded litigator with experience in civil and commercial litigation, administrative, constitutional, and public law. She has acted in over 40 civil appeals in Ontario courts, the Federal Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada, and has been appointed amicus curiae by the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, and the Federal Court of Appeal. She is ranked in the Chambers Guide to Canada’s Leading Lawyers, Lexpert, and Best Lawyers, is listed as one of Canada’s ‘Top 50 Women in Litigation’ by Benchmark Litigation.

Shantona is the co-Executive Director of the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute, and a former law clerk to Justice Ian Binnie. Prior to starting practice, she trained as a Middle Temple Fox Scholar in London, England, interned at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and participated in the Parliamentary Internship Programme. She has a B.C.L./LL.B. from McGill University and a master’s in law from the University of Oxford, as well as an M.A. in French Literature and a B.A. in French Studies and from Queen’s University. Shantona was born and raised in Montréal, and is called to the Bar in both Ontario and Québec.

Last day with the Commission March 31, 2023

Jeffrey Leon is a well-recognized and respected trial and appellate counsel with over 40 years of experience in Canadian courts in complex business litigation, administrative law, and class actions. He is a senior partner at Bennett Jones LLP and an arbitrator and mediator at Arbitration Place. He is a Past President of the American College of Trial Lawyers and The Advocates’ Society.

Mr. Leon is a former clerk to the Chief Justice of Ontario. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and a member of the International Society of Barristers and the Commonwealth Bar Association (UK). Mr. Leon is cited as a leading Canadian litigator by Chambers Global, Lexpert, American lawyer Media Best lawyers (“Bet the Company” litigator), Expert Guides (Best of the Best) Who’s Who Legal and Benchmark Canada.

He is the recipient of the Benchmark (Canada) Hall of Fame Award (2018), the Ontario Bar Association Award of Excellence in Civil Litigation (2014) the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2013), the Catzman Award for Civility and Professionalism (2010) and the Law Society Medal (2005).

Mr. Leon has an Honours B.A. (gold medalist) from the University of Alberta and an M.A. and L.L.B. from the University of Toronto. He was born and raised in Edmonton and is called to the Bar in Ontario.

Last day with the Commission March 31, 2023

Frank Au is an experienced Crown counsel who practices criminal law with a focus on appellate litigation. He was educated at the University of Toronto (B.Sc.), Osgoode Hall Law School (LL.B.), and the University of Cambridge (LL.M.). He served as Counsel to the Director at the Crown Law Office – Criminal, Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at Osgoode Hall Law School, and Co-Director of Appellate Advocacy for the Ontario Crown Attorneys Association.

Mr. Au is called to the Bar in Ontario. He has acted in over 100 appeals at the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. In 2020, the Federation of Asian-Canadian Lawyers honoured him with an award for his “significant accomplishments in the practice of law in the public sector”.

Gordon Cameron obtained law degrees from the University of Toronto and the University of Oxford and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1987. He has practiced public and administrative law since then, for private sector clients and as tribunal counsel. Gordon’s practice is now focused on national security law. He has acted as a Special Advocate in security certificate cases, as counsel to the Security Intelligence Review Committee and as an amicus curiae in over forty national security cases before the Federal Courts.

Last day with the Commission March 24, 2023

Erin Dann is a criminal defence lawyer and partner at Embry Dann LLP. She has a busy trial and appellate practice and has acted in over 100 appeals at the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada. Ms. Dann is regularly appointed amicus curiae in criminal cases involving mental health issues and frequently acts as referee in privilege litigation matters.

She is a member of the Pro Bono Inmate Appeal Program, is the Toronto co-ordinator for the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute, sits on the Case Review Committee of Innocence Canada, and is an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. Ms. Dann earned an LL.B. from Queen’s University in 2007, graduating first in her class. She clerked for the Honourable Justice Morris Fish at the Supreme Court of Canada and was called to the bar in 2008.

Last day with the Commission March 24, 2023

Gabriel Poliquin is an experienced legal counsel and litigator having acted in numerous cases before the federal courts, as well as all levels of Ontario and New Brunswick courts, in administrative, constitutional and public law cases. Prior to obtaining his LL.B. from the University of Ottawa in the French common law program, Mr. Poliquin obtained a Ph.D. in linguistics from Harvard University. Aside from his law practice, he teaches private international law at the University of Ottawa’s bijuridical program. He is called to the bars of Ontario and Quebec.

Last day with the Commission March 24, 2023

Natalia Rodriguez is a partner at Conway Baxter Wilson LLP in Ottawa. She practices civil litigation and dispute resolution with an emphasis on public and administrative law, commercial litigation, and appellate advocacy.

Ms. Rodriguez is a former judicial law clerk to Justice Louis LeBel at the Supreme Court of Canada and to Justices Russell G. Juriansz, John I. Laskin and Stephen T. Goudge at the Court of Appeal for Ontario. She attended Queen’s University where she graduated with the Silver Medal in Law.

From 2012-2014, Ms. Rodriguez served as Commission Counsel for the Elliot Lake Commission of Inquiry, investigating the collapse of the Algo Centre Mall and the subsequent emergency response.

Last day with the Commission March 24, 2023

Dan Sheppard practices law at Goldblatt Partners LLP. His practice focuses on labour and constitutional law, appeals and judicial reviews, and also encompasses access to information and privacy, criminal, and public international law.

Mr. Sheppard teaches constitutional law at Osgoode Hall Law School and is on the faculty of the Osgoode Hall Certificate Program in the Law of Emergencies. He graduated Osgoode Hall Law School in 2009 as the Silver Medalist and clerked at the Court of Appeal for Ontario. His scholarly work has been published in a number of peer reviewed journals and books.

Last day with the Commission March 24, 2023

Mona Duckett QC practices criminal, administrative and professional disciplinary law. She is experienced trial and appellate counsel, and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. She regularly presents at continuing legal education programs and is a sessional instructor at the University of Alberta Law School. Mona is a past president of the Alberta Law Society and of the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association. Mona is the senior partner at Dawson, Duckett, Garcia and Johnson in Edmonton.

Last day with the Commission January 24, 2023

Sacha Paul is a member of the English River First Nation, a Dene community located in Northern Saskatchewan. He is a partner with Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was called to the Manitoba bar in 2003, the NWT bar in 2007, the Nunavut bar in 2014, and Yukon bar in 2016. His practice includes Aboriginal law and Administrative law. Currently, he is the President of the Law Society of Manitoba. In 2003, Sacha clerked to the Honourable Ian Binnie at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Last day with the Commission January 24, 2023

Maia Tsurumi’s areas of expertise include civil and commercial litigation, class actions, constitutional rights, regulatory investigations, jurisdictional issues, administrative law, and Aboriginal title and rights. She has also worked with federal and provincial commissions.

Ms. Tsurumi is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia’s disciplinary panel pool and the British Columbia Employment Standards Tribunal, a recipient of Pivot Legal Society’s Access to Justice Award (2014) and Vice President of the Community Legal Assistance Society, as well as pro bono counsel for non-profit organizations working on constitutional and civil liberties issues. She was raised in Victoria and Japan and is called to the bar in British Columbia.

Last day with the Commission January 11, 2023

Stephen Armstrong hails from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He studied history at Mount Allison University and law at the University of Calgary. He was called to the bar of Alberta in 2019.

Misha Boutilier comes to the Public Order Emergency Commission as Commission Counsel on a leave of absence from the New York office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, a global litigation firm where he is an associate practicing commercial litigation. He maintains an active pro bono practice and recently received a Rising Star Award from the National Immigrant Justice Center.

Mr. Boutilier clerked for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and for Justices Sharpe, Tulloch, and Miller at the Court of Appeal for Ontario. Before clerking, he completed his law degree at the University of Toronto, receiving the Angus MacMurchy Gold Medal and the Cecil A. Wright Dean’s Key. His peer-reviewed publications centre on Charter, federalism, and other public law topics.

Last day with the Commission February 20, 2023.

Eric is a partner at Ross Nasseri LLP. He maintains a busy civil, commercial, and regulatory litigation practice. He has acted as counsel in investigations and hearings before the Ontario Securities Commission, the Mutual Fund Dealers Association, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario, the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Law Society of Ontario/LST and Real Estate Council of Ontario, as well as at all levels of court in Ontario.

Eric clerked for a judge of the Quebec Court of Appeal while in law school, and later clerked for the judges of the Superior Court in Toronto, including the judges of the Divisional Court and the Commercial List.

Eric has a B.A. (Honours) in History from McGill, an M.A. in History from McGill, and a B.C.L./LL.B. from McGill. He was called to the bar in 2015.

Last day with the Commission March 30, 2023

Sajeda Hedaraly comes to the Public Order Emergency Commission on a leave of absence from McCarthy Tétrault LLP, where she practices civil, public, and administrative law in the litigation group of the Montreal office.

Ms. Hedaraly holds a joint degree in civil law and common law from McGill University, where she received many awards. After her legal studies, she clerked at the Court of Appeal for Ontario for the Honourable Paul Rouleau and the Honourable Katherine van Rensburg and at the Supreme Court of Canada for the Honourable Clément Gascon and the Honourable Nicholas Kasirer. Ms. Hedaraly has published articles on Canadian federalism and the division of powers. She is fully bilingual and is a member of both the Law Society of Ontario and the Barreau du Québec.

Last day with the Commission February 20, 2023.

Alexandra Heine comes to the Public Order Emergency Commission as Commission Counsel on a leave of absence from Stockwoods LLP, a litigation firm in Toronto, where she is an associate practicing criminal, civil, public, and administrative law.

Ms. Heine has appeared before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and the Supreme Court of Canada. Prior to becoming an associate, she served as a judicial law clerk to the justices of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench in Calgary, and to Justice Michael Moldaver at the Supreme Court of Canada. Ms. Heine is a Francophone from Calgary. She completed her law degree at the University of Calgary, where she received many awards for her accomplishments.

Last day with the Commission December 14, 2022

Prior to joining the Commission, Nusra clerked at the Federal Court of Canada and completed her articles at the Department of Justice in Toronto. She graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2020 where she received awards in international criminal law, constitutional law, and criminal procedure. She has published peer-reviewed articles in the areas of administrative law, constitutional law and theory, and human rights law. Nusra also holds a B.A in History (First Class Honours) from McGill University. She is from Toronto and was called to bar of Ontario in June 2021.

Last day with the Commission March 14, 2023

Étienne Lacombe began his legal studies at McGill University, receiving the Faculty of Law’s Principal David L. Johnston Medal. He holds a Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge, where he studied as a Cambridge Trust Scholar and graduated with first-class honours.

Mr. Lacombe clerked for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and at the Court of Appeal for Ontario. His peer-reviewed publications centre on criminal law and public law more broadly. Mr. Lacombe’s inquiry experience began when he worked as a legal researcher at the Long-Term Care Homes Public Inquiry.

Last day with the Commission March 21, 2023.

John Mather is a partner at DMG Advocates LLP, where he practices commercial and public litigation.

John is an experienced public inquiry lawyer. From 2019-2020, John served as Associate Commission Counsel to Associate Chief Justice Frank Marrocco at the Collingwood Judicial Inquiry, an extensive public inquiry that examined two major transactions undertaken by the Town of Collingwood. In 2021, John served as Duty Counsel to Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission, assisting individuals who appeared before the Commission.

John’s commercial litigation practice focuses on class actions, product liability, media and defamation, cryptocurrency and arbitration. John has been recognized by Lexpert as a Leading Lawyer to Watch in corporate commercial litigation and has been featured in Benchmark Litigation’s 40 & Under Hot List for 2021 and 2022.

Last day with the Commission March 30, 2023

Allison joins the Public Order Emergency Commission as Commission Counsel on leave from Farris LLP where she is an associate in the litigation group.

Before joining the firm as an associate, Allison clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada for Justice Russell Brown and at the Court of Appeal for British Columbia for Justices Daphne Smith and Joyce DeWitt-Van Oosten.

Allison obtained her law degree from the University of British Columbia in 2018. As a law student, she received several academic awards, including course prizes in civil procedure and property law. She also served as a research assistant on projects related to equality rights, sexual assault, and children and the law, and completed an externship with the British Columbia Provincial Court.

Last day with the Commission February 28, 2023.

Jean-Simon Schoenholz is a litigator with a varied bilingual, bijural practice and a particular focus on public, administrative and regulatory law. Mr. Schoenholz has significant experience before the Federal Courts and he regularly appears before all levels of court in Ontario and before the Supreme Court of Canada. He has also acted as counsel for parties in public inquiries. He is called to the bars of Ontario and Quebec.

Prior to joining private practice, Mr. Schoenholz served as a judicial law clerk to the Honourable Justice Suzanne Côté at the Supreme Court of Canada. He had previously served as a judicial law clerk at the Federal Court of Canada. He teaches Administrative Law at Carleton University's Department of Law and Legal Studies.

Last day with the Commission January 31, 2023

Dahlia Shuhaibar practices public law and civil litigation at Olthuis van Ert in Ottawa and Vancouver. Prior to joining the firm, she clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada and the Federal Court. In 2021–22, Ms. Shuhaibar served as junior policy counsel on the Cullen Commission into Money Laundering in British Columbia. She also teaches Canadian Federalism Law at the University of Ottawa Civil Law Faculty.

Last day with the Commission December 23, 2022

Guillaume Sirois practiced tax litigation at the Department of Justice prior to joining the Commission. He started his career in 2018 as legal researcher at the Public Inquiry Commission on relations between Indigenous Peoples and certain public services in Québec where he was assigned to the police and public safety dossier. He clerked for Justice Pamel at the Federal Court and was previously deployed in Ivory Coast by Lawyers Without Borders where he worked in partnership with a human rights association.

Last day with the Commission March 14, 2023

Mark J. Freiman is as a lawyer and arbitrator in Toronto who appears regularly in high profile cases at all levels of the Canadian legal system. He is a former Deputy Attorney General for Ontario.

Mr. Freiman served as Lead Commission Counsel at the Air India Public Inquiry as well as for the Canadian Human Rights Commission proceedings against Ernst Zundel and his internet hate site. He frequently writes, teaches and speaks on topics related to national security, human rights and media. The recipient of numerous academic awards, he has taught extensively at the university level in both Law and the Humanities.

He holds undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Toronto and a PhD. from Stanford University. He served as law clerk to the late Chief Justice Brian Dickson.

Mr. Freiman is a member of the Order of Ontario.

Last day with the Commission March 24, 2023

Mark Pritchard is a former Chief Superintendent with the Ontario Provincial who retired from policing following a 37 year career. He had been the organizational lead for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Inquiry Team. He held various leadership positions within the OPP including the Regional Commander of the North West Region, the Bureau Commander of the Indigenous Policing Bureau, Commander Aurora Detachment and Detective Inspector with the Criminal Investigations Branch. He completed a lengthy assignment to the Ministry of the Solicitor General as the Officer in Charge of Major Case Management. He retired from the OPP to accept a position working with the Honourable Justice Gloria Epstein as part of her review team on the independent review of Toronto Police Service missing persons investigations. This included the review of procedures and practices in relation to missing persons investigations, particularly involving LGBTQ2S+, racialized and marginalized communities as well as the victims of serial killer Bruce McArthur.

Last day with the Commission March 24, 2023

Mark Sandler is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading criminal defence lawyers. He has been listed in various Best Lawyer publications internationally and nationally. He is the recipient of the G. Arthur Martin Criminal Justice Medal for his outstanding contributions to criminal justice. He was called to the bar in Ontario in 1980. Mr. Sandler is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a specialist in criminal litigation and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He served three terms as a Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario and was the Chair of its Appeal Panel for a number of years.

He has served as Counsel or Senior Advisor for or at over 20 public inquiries or systemic reviews, including the Goudge Inquiry (Pediatric Forensic Pathology), the Kaufman Inquiry (Guy Paul Morin), and the Robins Review (Sexual Misconduct by Teachers). He also acted as Counsel to the Office of the Independent Police Review’s systemic review of the Thunder Bay Police Service and its relationship to Indigenous communities.

Last day with the Commission March 24, 2023

Geneviève Cartier is a full professor at the Faculty of Law of the Université de Sherbrooke, where she joined the faculty in 1989. She teaches and researches in the fields of administrative law and legal theory. Her research interests include public administrative discretion and the relationship between constitutionalism, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and administrative law. Professor Cartier was Interim Dean of her faculty in 2019 and a member of the Law Commission of Canada's Advisory Council from 2003 to 2006. From 2012 to 2015, she served as full-time Director of Research for the Commission of Inquiry into the awarding and management of government contracts in the construction industry (the Charbonneau Commission). In 2017-2018, she was awarded a Herbert Smith Freehills Fellowship from the University of Cambridge Law School and a Fellowship from Clare Hall College at the same university.

Last day with the Commission December 31, 2022

Jamie Cameron was a full-time faculty member at Osgoode Hall Law School (1984-2020), and is now professor emerita. Her teaching and research focuses on constitutional and public law issues, including the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, freedom of expression and the press, US constitutional law, judicial biography, and criminal law. Professor Cameron has extensive publications and editorial experience (i.e., Board of Editors for Ontario Reports (since 1990); editor in chief of Osgoode Hall Law Journal; editor or co-editor of more than twelve books). Professional service includes the Board of Directors Vice-President for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (over 25 years), the BC Civil Liberties Association, the Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University, and the Harry Crowe Foundation. She sits on the Ontario Review Board (since 2013) and Nunavut Review Board (since 2018), which are adjudication boards for mentally disordered criminal offenders.

Last day with the Commission December 31, 2022

Michelle is a Professor in the Faculty of Law, University of Manitoba and a member of the Manitoba Law Reform Commission. She teaches in the areas of tax, financial crime and charities law. Her primary areas of research interest touch on tax law and policy, financial crime and money laundering, and philanthropy and law. Select recent publications touch on money laundering, secrecy and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, tax law and policy, and the modernization of charities law. She is the author of the book Money Laundering and the Proceeds of Crime: Economic Crime and Civil Remedies (2005). She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Arthur V. Mauro Institute for Peace & Justice at St. Paul's College, and also serves on the Peace and Conflict Studies Committee, which helps to govern the Ph.D. Program in Peace and Conflict Studies offered by the Institute.

Last day with the Commission December 31, 2022

Nomi Claire Lazar (Yale PhD, 2005) is Professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa, Canada. She is the author of a wide range of scholarship on emergency powers and crisis government, including the books States of Emergency in Liberal Democracies (Cambridge Press, 2009/13) and Out of Joint: Power, Crisis, and the Rhetoric of Time (Yale Press, 2019). An Ottawa native and central Ottawa resident, Professor Lazar has taught at the University of Chicago and Yale, and served as Associate Dean of Faculty at Yale-NUS College. In addition to her academic work, Professor Lazar is active in civil society, serving the public as a poll worker for elections, working on prisoners’ rights issues, and sitting on the University of Ottawa’s Governing Board. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked with Justice Canada on the policy framework around the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Last day with the Commission December 31, 2022

Kent Roach, CM, FRSC is a professor of Law at the University of Toronto. He formerly served as director of research to numerous inquiries and reviews, including the Commission of Inquiry into the Bombing of Air India Flight 182 and the Independent Review of the Toronto Police’s Missing Persons Investigations. He also served on the research advisory committees for the Arar and Ipperwash inquiries. He wrote expert reports on police-government relations for Ontario’s Ipperwash Inquiry and Quebec’s Inquiry into the Protection of Journalist Sources. He was volume lead for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s volume five on the legacy of residential schools for Indigenous people. Acting pro-bono, he has represented Aboriginal Legal Services in a number of Supreme Court cases. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2002, appointed as a member of the Order of Canada in 2015, and was awarded the Molson Prize for contributions to the social sciences and humanities in 2017. His most recent book published by Irwin Law this year is Canadian Policing: Why and How it Must Change.

Last day with the Commission December 31, 2022

Clifford Shearing is a Professor Emeritus at the Centre for Criminology and Socio-legal Studies at the University of Toronto and a Professeur associé at the School of Criminology at the University of Montreal. His research and thinking explores developments in the governance of security and the condition that enable enhancements in safety and security. His current research focuses on responses to climate related crises, developments in criminological theory as well as energy transitions and their implications for ecological security. He has supported the work of a variety of Canadian and international inquiries including, the Commission of Inquiry Concerning Activities of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (MacDonald Commission), the Multinational Panel Regarding Lawful Control of Demonstrations in the Republic of South Africa (Goldstone Commission), the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland (Paton Commission), and the Council of Canadian Academies’ Expert Panel on the Future of Canadian Policing. His most recent book is Criminology and Climate: Finance, Insurance and the Regulation of Harmscapes (Routledge, 2021).

Last day with the Commission December 31, 2022

Dr. Jocelyn Stacey is an Associate Professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia. She researches environmental crises and the visible and invisible ways in which law creates, regulates and prevents these events. Her work focuses on environmental assessment law, disaster law, climate change, emergency powers and the rule of law. Her book, The Constitution of the Environmental Emergency (Hart Publishing, 2018) addresses what the rule of law requires in light of our vulnerability to catastrophic environmental harm. Her academic work on emergencies and the law has been published in the Osgoode Hall Law Journal, Alberta Law Review and Transnational Environmental Law. She is the co-author of two reports with the Tŝilhqot’in National Government which document the experiences of the Nation during the 2017 wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Stacey works with the First Nations Leadership Council on the modernization of emergency management legislation in British Columbia.

Last day with the Commission December 31, 2022

A member in good standing of the Barreau du Québec since 1986, Hélène has practiced law in private practice and for the Department of Justice Canada in the fields of administrative law, labour law and human rights law. Retired from the public Service of Canada after 30 years of service, she successively held the positions of Associate Deputy Minister and Deputy Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. She assumed the role of Deputy Minister and oversaw the creation of the Department of Crown Indigenous-Relations and Northern Affairs Canada when it was created in 2018. Ms. Laurendeau retired as Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Last day with the Commission March 31, 2023

Michael Tansey is a communications professional with over 30 years of experience in strategic communications planning, media relations and crisis communications. A former journalist, Mr. Tansey has worked on two previous public inquiries, including the Commission of Inquiry into the Bombing of Air India Flight 182. He is also a freelance writer/photographer who has worked in every major policy area including Indigenous affairs, health, justice, the environment, and intergovernmental affairs.

Mr. Tansey was educated in English and French in Montreal and is fully bilingual.

Last day with the Commission March 21, 2023.