Members of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Advisory Committee 

Co-chairs

Janice Gross Stein

Janice Gross Stein is the Belzberg professor of conflict management in the Department of Political Science of, and the founding director of, the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and an honorary foreign member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She was awarded the Molson Prize by the Canada Council for an outstanding contribution by a social scientist to public debate. Her research focuses on the intersection of geo-strategy and public policy. She has received honorary doctor of law degrees from universities in Canada and abroad, and she is a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario.

Pierre Pettigrew

Pierre Pettigrew is executive adviser, international, at Deloitte Canada. He is also the chair of the Board of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. He was also the Government of Canada special envoy for the Canada-European Union Trade Agreement. Pierre served as a minister in the Government of Canada for 10 years, most notably as minister of human resources development, minister of international trade and minister of foreign affairs.

Farah Mohamed

A former refugee from Uganda, Farah Mohamed is of Indian heritage and was raised in Canada. Prior to working alongside Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, she created G(irls)20. Farah spent almost 10 years working on Parliament Hill. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen’s University, as well as a Master of Laws degree and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Western University. For her contributions to Canada, Farah has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and Meritorious Service Medal.

Members of the committee

Frank McKenna

Frank McKenna is 1 of Canada’s most respected political and business leaders.

He has been an executive with TD Bank Group—1 of North America’s largest banks—since 2006, and he joined TD Securities in January 2020. As deputy chair of TD Securities, he is focused on supporting the continued expansion of TD Securities’ global footprint.

He is a graduate of St. Francis Xavier University, Queen’s University and the University of New Brunswick’s Faculty of Law. He was awarded a prestigious Lord Beaverbrook Scholarship in Law and has practised in courtrooms all the way up to the Supreme Court of Canada. He achieved widespread acclaim for his successful defence of Canadian boxing legend Yvon Durelle.

He was elected premier of New Brunswick in 1987 in a historic victory that left his party with all 58 seats in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. His time as premier was marked by widespread acclaim for balanced budgets and unprecedented job creation. He was the only politician in Canadian history to ever be named as Economic Developer of the Year, and he was inducted into the Canadian Technology Hall of Fame. He retired 10 years ago on the day of his original election, keeping his promise to the people of New Brunswick that he would only serve 10 years.

Since leaving public life, he has been in widespread demand as a corporate director, and he acted as counsel to 2 national law firms. He was named by Jean Chrétien, a former prime minister of Canada, to the Security Intelligence Review Committee. He was also inducted into the New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame and the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.

In 2005, he accepted an invitation from Prime Minister Paul Martin to become ambassador of Canada to the United States of America. Upon completing his time as ambassador, he resumed his corporate career with TD Bank Group. He also became the chairman of Brookfield Asset Management, a global asset manager that has $500 billion in assets. Additionally, he became a director of Canadian Natural Resources, Canada’s largest oil and gas producer.

Frank has a school of public policy named in his honour at St. Thomas University—the Frank McKenna Centre for Communications and Public Policy—and the Frank McKenna Leadership Centre at St. Francis Xavier University is also named in his honour. Also bearing his name are the Frank McKenna School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Mount Allison University and the Frank McKenna Leadership Centre: L’alUMni at the University of Moncton.

His charitable work, particularly in Haiti, was rewarded with the Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year award. Frank is a queen’s counsel, a member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, a fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors, a member of the Order of New Brunswick and a member of the Order of Canada. He is the recipient of 15 honorary degrees.

Hassan Yussuff

Hassan Yussuff was appointed to the Senate of Canada to represent Ontario in June 2021, and he sits as a member of the Independent Senators Group. Hassan is 1 of Canada’s most experienced labour leaders. An immigrant from Guyana, he has had a long and accomplished career as a union activist, including serving for 2 terms as the president of the Canadian Labour Congress from 2014 to 2021—the first person of colour to lead Canada’s labour movement. In addition to his work in Canada, Hassan has been a prominent international activist. In 2016, he was elected for a second term as president of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas, an organization uniting 48 national organizations and representing more than 55 million workers in 21 countries. Hassan has also served on numerous task forces and organizations, including the Government of Canada’s NAFTA Council and its Sustainable Development Advisory Council; he has also served as co-chair of the Task Force on Just Transition for Canadian Coal Power Workers and Communities.

Rona Ambrose

Rona Ambrose is a dynamic national leader, a champion for the rights of women and girls, a former leader of Canada’s Official Opposition in the House of Commons and a former leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

By the time she announced her retirement from politics in 2017, she had served as a Cabinet minister in several government departments, as vice-chair of the Treasury Board of Canada and as chair of the Cabinet committee for public safety, justice and aboriginal issues.

Her service included developing federal policies in military procurement, industrial strategies and health innovation, as well as improving sexual assault laws. While she was minister of environment, Rona was responsible for Canada’s regulatory regime for greenhouse gases, which is in place in several industrial sectors today.

Rona is a passionate advocate for supporting and protecting disadvantaged women and girls. Her commitment to this fight led the global movement to create the International Day of the Girl Child at the United Nations. Rona serves on the board of directors for Plan International Canada and is the co-author of a bestselling children’s book, International Day of the Girl: Celebrating Girls Around the World. Rona’s proceeds from the book are donated to Plan International Canada.

Her efforts were recently recognized by the UN Women’s She Innovates initiative as 1 of 100 women who are “impossible to ignore.” Currently, Rona continues to press the Canadian government to ensure that her legislation for mandatory sexual assault law training for judges is passed. As an advocate for diversity, Rona is proud to have been the first leader of her party to march in a Pride parade.

Rona is a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Centre Canada Institute and has served on the Government of Canada’s advisory council for the renegotiation of NAFTA, the advisory board of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and the advisory board of the Canadian American Business Council. Rona is also a recipient of the Famous Five Nation Builder Award, the Public Policy Forum’s Service to Canada Award, the Friends of Africa Humanity Award, the UN Women Canada National Committee Award and the Canadian AIDS Society leadership pin.

Dominic Barton

Dominic Barton is the chair of Rio Tinto and the chair of LeapFrog Investments, an impact-investment firm focused on emerging markets.

Dominic recently served as ambassador of Canada to China. He was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau from 2019 to 2021.

He is also the chancellor of the University of Waterloo.

Jonathan Hausman

Jonathan Hausman is senior managing director and head of global investment strategy at the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP). He is a member of the OTPP’s Investments Executive and Global Investment Committee. He was previously head of alternative investments and global tactical asset allocation; he was responsible for the fund’s global hedge fund portfolio and internal global macro and systematic trading strategies.

Prior to joining the OTTP, Jonathan was executive director at Goldman Sachs, where he held positions in its New York City, London and Hong Kong offices, managing sovereign risk strategy and advising government clients on their external financings and international credit ratings. His clients included South Korea, which conferred on him the National Award of Merit in recognition of his advisory work for the Korean government through the Asia crisis.

Jonathan is a senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, where he was founding co-chair of the school’s Advisory Board, and he is presently a lecturer on global political economy. He has received an Arbor Award for his service to the university. Jonathan also serves as chair of the Canadian Council for the Americas and is a member of the Advisory Board of Capitalize for Kids. Before beginning his career in international finance, Jonathan worked as special assistant to the premier of Ontario. He holds an honours Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University, a Master of Science degree in economics from the London School of Economics and a Master of Public Administration degree from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. He also has ICD.D certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Odette McCarthy

Odette McCarthy promotes human rights and gender equality in every project she undertakes. She is the executive director of Equitas, the International Centre for Human Rights Education, a Canadian organization that advances equality, social justice and respect for human dignity in Canada and around the world. The Equitas team knows that human rights education leads to dialogue, action and social justice, and it works with dozens of partners to promote these dialogues between human rights advocates and decision makers.

Odette has over 25 years of international cooperation experience, and she has been a board of directors member for several non-profit organizations. She is an active member of the feminist foreign policy working group and a member of the anti-racism advisory committee for Canada’s international cooperation sector.

Before joining the Equitas team, Odette held several leadership positions within various organizations and led a number of programs to enhance women’s economic empowerment in complex geopolitical contexts in countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with stakeholders from the public and private sectors and civil society. From 2011 to 2019, she taught the course Gender Equality as part of the certificate in international cooperation at the University of Montréal. In everything she does, she focuses on clear, unifying communication and the promotion of diverse perspectives.

Darren Touch

Darren Touch has extensive knowledge and experience in governance and evidence-based, people-focused public policy development in the public, private and non-governmental sectors in Canada and abroad. Darren is a Schwarzman fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ Kissinger Institute on China and the United States and the Canada Institute. His research at the Wilson Center focuses on relations between Canada, China and the United States, and it examines how Canada and the United States can manage their interests with China while maintaining and strengthening the Canada–United States relationship. He is also the founder and CEO of the Canada China Forum, a non-governmental organization that seeks to convene a new generation of Canadian leaders who are globally minded and China-competent.

He graduated from the University of Ottawa with an honours bachelor’s degree in social science, political science and public administration, where he studied as a TD Scholar, and he holds a Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs degree from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Management Science in Global Affairs degree from Tsinghua University, where he studied as a Schwarzman scholar representing Canada. 

Tabatha Bull

Tabatha Bull is Anishinaabe and a proud member of Nipissing First Nation. As CCAB’s president and CEO, she is committed to helping rebuild and strengthen the path toward reconciliation and to a prosperous Indigenous economy to benefit all Canadians.

Serving the Indigenous community through CCAB’s commitment to support the Indigenous economy, Tabatha works with government, notably through her roles with the federal government’s recent COVID-19 Supply Council and the deputy minister of international trade at Global Affairs Canada, as well as through her work with various organizations, committees and boards on Indigenous economic development.

An electrical engineer, Tabatha informs Canada’s energy sector by participating on many boards, including Ontario’s electricity system operator, IESO, and the Positive Energy Advisory Council, the MARS Energy Advisory Council and the C.D. Howe Institute’s Energy Policy program.

Tabatha also sits on the Catalyst CEO advisory board in Canada CN’s inaugural Indigenous Advisory Council, the Queen’s University Circle of Advisors and Centennial College’s Indigenous Circle, and she is a member of the board of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. Tabatha is dedicated to diversity and removing systematic barriers to improve opportunities and business competitiveness across all industry sectors.

Salim Teja

Salim Teja is a partner with Radical Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in entrepreneurs applying deep technology to transform massive industries. With a primary focus on artificial intelligence, Radical Ventures partners with exceptional entrepreneurs to build enduring global companies. Salim brings over 25 years of experience in the technology sector as an entrepreneur, venture investor, corporate innovator and innovation ecosystem builder. Prior to being a partner at Radical Ventures, Salim served as president, venture services, for MaRS Discovery District, a leading global innovation centre working with over 1,200 high-growth start-ups across Canada.

Salim is a graduate of the Ivey Business School at Western University.

Tammy Harris

Major-General (Retired) Tammy Harris, CD, proudly served her country for over 3 decades in the Canadian Armed Forces. Born in the beautiful Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Acadia University and, later, a master’s degree in defence studies from the Royal Military College of Canada. She is a graduate of the Canadian Forces Command Staff Course and the National Security Program, and she is an alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School, where she completed an international security program.

Professionally, she held many command and staff appointments throughout her career. She served as the deputy commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, chief of staff to the chief of defence staff, base commander Borden and wing commander Gander, and she was seconded to the Privy Council Office. In 2009, she deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, as the NATO chief planner for the Kandahar Airfield and Base. She was honoured to be selected as the champion of gender perspectives for the Canadian Armed Forces, a role she expanded internationally.

In retirement, she has served on the Board of Directors for the Halifax International Security Forum.

Kasi Rao

Kasi Rao is a managing director of Fairfax Consulting Services India Ltd., a Canadian company focused on investment opportunities in India. Most recently, he was the president and chief executive officer of the Canada-India Business Council. He has also served as the vice president of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (Toronto). Over the last 15 years, he has served as a consultant and an adviser to private and public sector organizations focused on India. His other work experiences have included working in the positions of president and CEO in the private, broader public and public sectors, including at BMO Financial Group, the University of Toronto and the offices of the Premier of Ontario. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Arts degree in political science from the University of Toronto.

Advisers to the co-chairs

Victor V. Ramraj

Victor V. Ramraj is professor of law and chair in Asia-Pacific legal relations at the University of Victoria. Since 2017, he has served as director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives (CAPI). Before returning to Canada in 2014, he spent 16 years at the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Law, during which time he was twice seconded to the Center for Transnational Legal Studies in London, United Kingdom, once as its co-director. In addition to his teaching at the University of Victoria, he also teaches regularly in Chulalongkorn University’s LLM in business law in Bangkok.

Victor’s research interests span comparative public law, transnational law and the state-company relationship. He has published dozens of articles in leading journals in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Many of his publications and research activities have focused on the Indo-Pacific region, including the article Emergency Powers in Asia: Exploring the Limits of Legality (co-edited, Cambridge University Press, 2010). His latest edited volume, Covid-19 in Asia: Law and Policy Contexts (New York: Oxford University Press, 2021), consists of 30 chapters by 61 contributors in 17 countries. He recently finished a 4-year project, Regulating Globalization in South and Southeast Asia, with partners in Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Thailand and Vietnam, as part of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships Advanced Scholars program. In his current role at CAPI, he co-convenes the centre’s round table series on Southeast Asia in a global context. Among his current research projects is a region-wide empirical study of law, politics and the academy in Asia, focusing on academic freedom issues.

Pascale Massot

Pascale Massot is an assistant professor in the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa. Her research interests include the global political economy of China’s rise, the political economy of Asia and China’s impact on the governance of extractive commodity markets, as well as Canada-China and Canada-Asia relations. She has a Doctor of Philosophy degree in political science from the University of British Columbia. She served as senior adviser for Asia to various federal Cabinet ministers at different points between 2015 and 2021. 

Yves Tiberghien

Yves Tiberghien (PhD, Stanford University, 2002; Harvard Academy Scholar, 2006; Fulbright Scholar, 1996) is a professor of political science, the Konwakai chair in Japanese Research and the director of the Centre for Japanese Research at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Yves is a distinguished fellow at the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada and a senior fellow at the University of Alberta’s China Institute. He is an international steering committee member at the Pacific Trade and Development Conference and a visiting professor at Tokyo University, the Taipei School of Economics and Sciences Po Paris. His research focuses on the comparative political economy of East Asia and on global economic and environmental governance. His latest book is The East Asian Covid-19 Paradox. August 2021. University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108973533. He is working on a new book entitled Up for Grabs: Disruption, Competition, and the Remaking of the Global Order.