Leonie Tchatat

Co-president

Founder and Director (CEO) of La Passerelle-I.D.E Toronto and Paris, ex-Chief of the Ontarian Commision for Human Rights, Co-President of the Advisory Committee for the Call to Action Against Racism, Léonie Tchatat has played a key role in the development of initiatives defined by innovation and anchored in a profound knowledge of issues of importance regarding the inclusion of the growing diversity in Canadian and Ontarian society. Ms. Léonie Tchatat has been working for more than 25 years on initiatives to eradicate racism in our society. In 2021, she was appointed to the City of Toronto's Black Mandate Funding Committee whose goal is to create a Black Mandated Funding Framework that acknowledges and concretizes the City of Toronto's commitment to advance the International Decade for People of African Descent. In the continuity of her contribution, she was invited as a speaker in 2021 in Nice, France at the EFUS international conference which brought together more than 250 European and international regions to mobilize in favor of reinforced, inclusive urban security. and sustainable Ms. Tchatat has received numerous awards in recognition of her accomplishments: in 2009, she was named Chevalier à l’ordre de la francophonie et du dialogue des cultures de la Pléiade; in 2002, she was named a member of the Passages to Canada Speakers Bureau. She was a member of the Director’s Committee for Citizenship and Immigration Canada – Francophone Minority Communities in 2005. She was given a position in the Administrative Council for the Public Education Channel for the French Language TFO for 2 mandates. A strategist and an activist, she has founded a training programme in Cultural Competencies, renowned as an exemplary practice for the promotion of immigrant integration in Canada by the Canadian government, and has launched 2 large public awareness-raising campaigns on Francophone immigrant contributions in Ontario, titled ‘Immigrant means: a stronger Ontarian francophonie!’ and ‘Immigrant means: a prosperous French Ontario!’. It is recognised that, thanks to Ms. Tchatat, thousands of immigrants have found a way of integrating into Canadian society. Ms. Tchatat has been named representative of the Canada-France Seminar for young people and diversity integration, organised by the Canadian Ambassador in France and the National Council for Cities.

Dominique Dennery, M.A, FCMC

Co-president

A Black Canadian fluent in both official languages, Dominique has over 30 years of experience working with national, provincial, and municipal organizations to help them reach their goals and potential. Her work in recent years included facilitating federal consultations on topics such as housing, the elimination of gender- based violence, and anti-racism. Dominique holds degrees and certificates in French literature, management consulting, coaching and facilitation. Her commitment to meaningful equity and anti- oppression work spans her entire career. Most recently, she was appointed Chair of Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership (OLIP) a multi-sectoral partnership involving 60 local organizations working on common priorities to attract, settle and integrate immigrants in the national capital. Dominique is also a sculptor, and her bronze work has appeared in places like Gatineau City Hall, Parc Toussaint Louverture in Montreal, and private collections in Canada and overseas. Well recognized for both her art and her facilitation and coaching work, Dominique is the recipient of numerous awards and honours, including the Key to the City of Montreal, the Gold Facilitation Impact Award, and a Mosaique Intercultural Award for her work as a trailblazer. In 2018 she was selected as one of the 100 Accomplished Black Women in Canada.

Daniel Cayen

Advisor

Born in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, Daniel Cayen obtained his BAC in History from Laurentian University and his master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Toronto. Daniel was a recipient of a Legislative Internship at Queen’s Park in 1981 which allowed him to develop expertise in Ontario’s legislative and political processes. In 1982, he joined the Ontario Public Service with which he spent 32 years working in the areas of constitutional (Charlottetown Accord), environmental, labour markets and language policies. He achieved the rank of Assistant Deputy Minister. Since his youth, Daniel’s ambition has been to be completely free to choose what he does, when he does it, and with whom. He achieved that goal in 2014. Since then, Daniel has engaged in volunteer work, trips around the world with his spouse, writing, learning Spanish, and, in the best tradition of Baudelaire, he “flânes” (no English translation of the concept).

Ronald Bisson

Advisor

Mr. Ronald Bisson is originally from Manitoba. He knows the issues of the Canadian Francophonie very well. He began his career as a young teacher in the 1970s. In 1982, he moved to Ottawa to take up the position of Executive Director of the Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française, a position he held until 1989. He was the owner of a consulting firm specializing in official languages for 30 years. Mr. Bisson has witnessed the issues of Frenchspeaking immigrants, having conducted more than 50 studies and research on immigration, including the preparation of the first national strategic plan promoting French-speaking immigration in French-speaking minority communities. He currently holds the position of director of operations for a pan-Canadian organization. He has served as a volunteer on several community organizations including the United Way of Eastern Ontario, the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership and the Maison de la francophonie d'Ottawa. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Latin-Philosophy), a Certificate in Education from the University of Saint-Boniface and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Ottawa.

Solange Belluz

Advisor

Solange Belluz is currently the Pastor of Congregational Life at the PeoplesChurch in Toronto. She is also a Life Coach, Speaker, Corporate Trainer andfounding Faculty member of the John Maxwell Team Français. She is alsothe founder of The Life Coaching and Leadership Training Centre. As aProfessional Coach, she is committed to empowering people andorganizations, helping them find meaning and purpose as they make life-changing choices leading to personal and corporate success. Through empathy and authenticity, she enjoys helping individuals andteams fulfill their dreams and reach their potential by combining leadershiptraining and communication mastery with both practical and spiritual insights that inspire transformation and produce results. A serial entrepreneur by nature, Solange has launched several successful businesses. Prior to launching her entrepreneurial career, she was ExecutiveDirector of Government, Institutional and International Relations at GlendonCollege – York University and assumed leadership roles in the Ontario PublicService for more than 20 years. Born in Cameroon, Solange grew up in France and migrated to Canada over 32 years ago as an international student. Educated in three continents, sheholds an MBA from York University’s Schulich School of Business, a Master’sdegree in Translation from York University, an M.Sc. in Management fromEMLyon Business School (France) and a Master of Divinity from Oral RobertsUniversity (USA). She also received professional coach training fromtheAdler School of Professional Psychology and is a member of theInternational Coach Federation (ICF) and the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC). She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree in Leadership at Tyndale University. Actively involved in the community, Solange has served on a number of boards in Canada and internationally and has been involved in several youth initiatives such as the Mandela Washington Fellowship for YoungAfrican Leaders. She is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors of Entité3, the French-Language Health Planning Entity for the Greater Toronto Area. In her spare time, Solange loves to bake and to spend quality time with her husband of 22 years and their two sons.

Jawad Kassab

Advisor

Master Jawad Kassab, born in the West Indies, immigrating to Canada, is a retired executive of Legal Aid Ontario. During his 22-year career, he managed the legal program that served refugee and immigrant women in Ontario. Me. Kassab is an experienced director, who has served on the board of several charities. Me. Kassab now works as a consultant focused on corporate governance and management to build a fair and equitable world for all.

Mohamed Boudjenane

Advisor

Mohamed Boudjenane is a civil servant in the Ontario provincial government and a former political journalist. He served in the Bob Rae NDP government as a staffer to cabinet minister Gilles Pouliot until 1995. He joined the franco-Ontario television station TFO in 1995, and served as a reporter there for ten years. He switched careers again, in 2005 and served as the Executive Director of the Canadian Arab Federation until 2009. Over the years he has been part of many human-rights organizations and boards.

Marc Arnal

Advisor

Born in Manitoba, holder of a doctorate in Scholar Administration from the University of Alberta, Marc Arnal worked from 2003 until 2014 as Dean of Campus Saint-Jean (U. of Alberta). Previously, he was Regional Director of the Secretary of State for Alberta and the NWT, following ten years in Ottawa in various management positions. He also served on the senior staff of the Alberta Teachers' Association from 1993 until 2003 as Chief Operating Officer, Secretary of Professional Discipline Duties and Union Officer. A member of the team responsible for investigating the links between Francophones and other components of Canadian society, he served as Co-Founding President of the Canadian Foundation for Cross-Cultural Dialogue and Community Co-President for the Committee on Francophone immigration in a minority setting, both from 2002 until 2012. In addition, he has been a member of many national committees, including health and immigration. Known for his outspokenness, he presented many controversial points of view, particularly on inclusion and belonging. Mr Arnal has been retired since 2014. He is married to Rashmi Joshee and they have three children.