Canada Board of Directors

Bruce served as a top lawyer in the Senate for almost two decades working for Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont. As Chief Counsel and Staff Director for the Senate Judiciary Committee, he coordinated the Democratic staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee and worked with his Republican counterparts, Senate leadership, the House, and the administrations of Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama. Bruce graduated from Stanford University, and from the University of California Berkeley, school of law where he was editor-in-chief of The California Law Review.

Tom Kaneb has a successful business, investment, and philanthropic career spanning 40 years. Tom’s current business focus is on a range of manufacturing companies where he is a significant shareholder and early stage investor in technology. His focus is on building management teams, driving sales, and keeping management teams strategically focused. Tom believes Canada is the best place in the world to manufacture given our export potential to the US. Tom’s education includes an engineering degree from Queens and an MBA from Harvard University.

The Honourable John McCallum is a Senior Strategic Advisor with McMillan LLP. He previously served as Canada’s ambassador to the People’s Republic of China and is an internationally recognized authority on Sino-Canadian relations. As Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship in Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, John McCallum led Canada's effort to welcome more than 40,000 Syrian refugees from 2015-2016. Earlier, Mr. McCallum served as Senior Vice President and Chief Economist for the Royal Bank of Canada, Dean of the Faculty of Arts at McGill University, and a longtime economics professor at the University of Manitoba, Simon Fraser University, Université du Québec à Montréal, and McGill University.

Ben Rempel recently retired from the Manitoba public service as the Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for Immigration Manitoba, after a career spanning nearly two-decades in successive leadership positions with the province’s immigrant nominee, newcomer integration and international education programs. Manitoba’s Growing Through Immigration strategy has attracted more than 150,000 immigrant newcomers to the province and supported the growth, diversity and economic vitality of rural, urban and cultural communities in every region. Before joining the public service, he taught English for Academic Purposes in the Republic of the Congo, and worked as an international education advisor.

Omar is an IT professional with Shopify Canada, and a Syrian-born alumni of the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot. He has a Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering from Tishreen University, Syria and has expertise in cloud computing. He arrived in Canada in January, 2021 with his wife. Omar is pleased to bring his experience in the tech sector to the TBB Canada board and to bring his experience as a formerly displaced person to the leadership of TBB Canada.

Alison is the Founder and CEO of SuccessionMatching.com. Founded in 2012, SuccessionMatching is a website for business buyers, sellers, and succession planning professionals. With a background in Human Resources and Economic Development, Alison has always been interested in helping entrepreneurs. She strives every day to improve the business landscape for all businesses without losing sight of the people behind each. Alison is excited to bring her business experience to help TBB engage with entrepreneurs who happen to be refugees work toward ownership of a business in Canada.

Bahati is a labour mobility consultant with RefugePoint and an Undergraduate Student Nurse with the Nova Scotia Health Authority. Bahati is a founding member of the Global Taskforce on Labour Mobility and an advisor with the Refugee Advisory Network Canada. Previously, Bahati served with the UNHCR Nairobi Branch Office as the Youth Activities Coordinator. She was also a Research Associate at the University of Oxford’s Refugee-Led Research Hub. Bahati worked as a nurse at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi during the COVID 19 pandemic. She is a former Rwandan refugee currently residing in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Cathryn is a Senior Partner at Serotte Law Canada, is a lawyer in good standing with the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) and a member of the Law Society of Ontario. She completed her law degree at Osgoode Hall and is the co-author of a book called “Canadian Immigration and Refugee Law: A Practitioners Handbook”, published by Emond Publishing. Cathryn Sawicki has a deep understanding of immigration law and advocacy. She has dedicated her career to helping clients navigate complex legal challenges and has leading case law before the Federal Court of Appeal. Her passion for justice and community empowerment drives her work in creating a more inclusive society.

Patrick is a Director at Fragomen’s Toronto office, where he is responsible for overseeing private sector engagement for refugee labour mobility programs, across Fragomen’s global offices. Prior to this, Patrick worked as the Chief Operating Officer and Canada Director at Talent Beyond Boundaries for nearly 4 years, helping grow TBB’s global programs and footprint across the world. Patrick has over 12 years of experience in both economic and refugee immigration law and is also currently serving as the co-chair for a private sponsorship group in Toronto. Patrick got called to the Bar in the UK in 2013 and has recently completed a Masters in Refugee Policy and Forced Migration. Patrick is excited to bring his experience, knowledge and insights in refugee labour mobility to the TBB Canada board.