Minister Kenney Announces Appointments and Reappointment to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Aug. 7, 2009) - Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney today announced 10 full-time appointments and one full-time reappointment to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). Haig Basmajian was appointed for a three-year term in the Montreal office. Robert Joseph Bebbington, Teresa Cheung, Anthony Peter da Silva, Lesley Mason, Patricia Jean Miscampbell, Deborah Ann Grace Morrish, Vandana Patel, Noeline Sujithra Paul, and Michele Pettinella were each appointed for three-year terms in the Toronto office. Marlene Hogarth was reappointed in Toronto. These appointments and reappointment were made in accordance with the IRB's merit-based appointment process. The Minister is committed to delivering on his promise to fill vacancies on the Board with qualified individuals as quickly as possible after vacancies arise. Since becoming Minister, including today's appointments, Minister Kenney has announced 54 appointments and re-appointments to the IRB. With today's announcement, the IRB is at 89 % of its full complement. Ms. Patel has over 10 years of legal and human rights experience in both Canadian and international settings, most recently at Ontario Power Generation, where she served as in-house counsel. She previously served as a legal officer for the Iraq Operation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Amman, Jordan, and for the International Organization for Migration in Geneva, Switzerland. Ms. Patel is a member of the Law Society of Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Comparative Development from McGill University, a Juris Doctorate from the University of Detroit Mercy's Faculty of Law and the London International Law Program, and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor. Mr. Basmajian most recently worked as a Senior Contracts Manager at Bombardier Aerospace. He has previously served as a Senior Advisor for Artist Management and as an Immigration and Occupational Health and Safety Advisor at the Cirque du Soleil. Mr. Basmajian has also served as an Immigration Officer at Citizenship and Immigration Canada in Lacolle, Quebec. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University and Licenses in Civil and Common Law from the University of Ottawa. Mr. Bebbington has worked in the health care field as a chiropractor. He holds a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and a Master of Science degree in Biology and Human Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport. He is also a Fellow of the International Academy of Clinical Acupuncture. Prior to her appointment to the Board, Ms. Cheung was a lawyer practicing with Wires Jolley LLP in Toronto. She was legal counsel for an international professional association advising on governance issues, intellectual property issues, review of commercial contracts and by-law drafting. She has also been a commercial and civil litigation lawyer in the areas of commercial insurance claims. Ms. Cheung is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada. She received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Waterloo, an LL.B from Queen's University, and an LL.M in Intellectual Property from Osgoode Hall Law School. Mr. da Silva has over 15 years of experience in the immigrant settlement and not-for-profit education and training sector. Most recently he served in many capacities at the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board, including as a trustee for Brampton and as a member of the Peel Newcomer Strategy Group. Mr. da Silva has received an award from the Peel Literacy Guild for Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Literacy, as well as an award from the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation for Excellence in Special Education. He has previously been president of the Ontario Association of Adult and Continuing Education School Board, and chair of the Partnership Advisory Council for the Centres for Excellence in Research in Immigration and Settlement. Before her initial appointment to the Board in November 2006, Ms. Hogarth had been a member of the Social Benefits Tribunal at the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services and co-chair of the Medical Review Committee at the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. She has volunteered for the Thunder Bay Literacy Group and the Thunder Bay and District Humane Society, and served as co-chair of the fundraising committee, and president of the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society. She received an Ontario Teacher's Certificate from Lakehead University. Ms. Mason was most recently a part-time teacher of mathematics at the Toronto District School Board's (TDSB) City Adult Learning Centre. She has also been a programme team leader in mathematics and science at the TDSB's Emery Adult Learning Centre and head of the library at the TDSB's Malvern Collegiate Institute. She holds Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Education degrees from Queen's University, and a Masters in Education from the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Miscampbell was a coordinator of business retention and expansion for the Town of Collingwood. She has also been an adjudicator and a member of the Social Benefits Tribunal at the Province of Ontario. She has volunteered for the Ontario Museum Association and the Ontario College of Midwives, and has been active in the community in Collingwood, including serving as a member of the Collingwood Police Services Board and on the executive committee of the Collingwood YMCA. Ms. Morrish has over 18 years of experience in tribunal and hearing processes. Prior to her current appointment to the IRB, she had also served as board member from 1998 to 2006, and as a professional development advisor. She has also served as vice chair of the Province of Ontario's Social Assistance Review Board. Ms. Morrish is a member of the Council for Canadian Administrative Tribunals. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages, a Bachelor of Education, a Bachelor of Science, and a Master of Arts in French from the University of Toronto. Ms. Paul has most recently worked as a Case Manager at WorksafeBC in Richmond, and was previously a lawyer with Embarkation Law Group in Vancouver. She also served as a board director for Defence for Children International Canada. Ms. Paul received Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Toronto and York University, a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, for which she completed an intensive program in immigration and refugee law. Prior to her appointment to the Board, Ms. Pettinella had worked for over a decade at the Canada Revenue Agency in Mississauga, most recently as a Trust Accounts Examiner. She has previously worked for the Department of National Defence, where she served as a Staff Relations and Compensation Officer, and as a Civilian Personnel Officer, among other positions. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from York University. Created in 1989, the IRB is an independent administrative tribunal that reports to Parliament through the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. The Board has three divisions-the Refugee Protection Division, the Immigration Appeal Division, and the Immigration Division. The IRB determines refugee protection claims made in Canada, hears immigration appeals, and conducts admissibility hearings and detention reviews.