Elizabeth May

Leader of the Green Party of Canada

Elizabeth May is an environmentalist, writer, activist, lawyer, and leader of the Green Party of Canada. Elizabeth became active in the environmental movement in the 1970s. She is a graduate of Dalhousie Law School and was admitted to the Bar in both Nova Scotia and Ontario. She held the position of Associate General Council for the Public Interest Advocacy Centre prior to becoming Senior Policy Advisor to the federal minister of the Environment from 1986 until 1988. Elizabeth became Executive Director of the Sierra Club of Canada in 1989, a position she held until March 2006, when she stepped down to run for leadership of the Green Party of Canada.

Elizabeth is the author of five books, including her most recent How to Save the World in Your Spare Time, a manual for activists. Elizabeth holds three honourary doctorates, and the Elizabeth May Chair in Women’s Health and the Environment at Dalhousie University was created in her honour. She has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the National Round Table on Environment and Economy and is currently is a member of the Earth Charter International Council. Elizabeth became an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2005, and was elected as leader of the Green Party of Canada in 2006.

Session Information
Date: Monday, March 3, 2008
Title: “Canada’s Role in a Changing World”

The Hon. Michael Wilson

Canadian Ambassador to the United States

Michael Wilson assumed his responsibilities as Ambassador on March 13, 2006, becoming the 22nd representative of Canada to the United States. Prior to taking up his current position in Washington, Ambassador Wilson was Chairman of UBS Canada, an operating division of UBS AG, one of the world's leading financial institutions where he oversaw all UBS operations in Canada, which included the Investment Bank, pension fund management, and Wealth Management businesses. Prior to joining UBS in July 2001, Ambassador Wilson was responsible for RBC Financial Group's institutional asset management business. He also served as a Vice Chairman of RBC Dominion Securities, responsible for senior client relationships and advice to both Canadian and international companies and governments. In 1979, Ambassador Wilson was elected to the House of Commons. In September 1984 he was appointed Minister of Finance and remained in that position until May 1991. He then became Minister of Industry, Science and Technology and Minister for International Trade. During his tenure as a member of the Cabinet, Ambassador Wilson represented Canada at the IMF, IBRD, OECD, GATT and the G-7 Ministers meetings. Prior to his career in public life, Ambassador Wilson's career was in investment banking with responsibilities in corporate, government and international finance where he was the Director of a number of companies including BP P.L.C. and Manulife Financial. Ambassador Wilson is active in a number of professional and community organizations including the NeuroScience Canada Partnership, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships and the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance. Mr. Wilson is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and has honorary degrees from the University of Toronto and York University.

Session Information
Date: March 13, 2008
Title: TBA
Co-sponsor: The Canadian Consulate, Boston

George Thomson

Chair of the Ontario Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform

George Thomson has had a broad public sector career that has included law teaching, judging and deputy minister positions with the Ontario and Canadian governments. He is the only person to have been both a provincial deputy attorney general and the deputy minister of justice for Canada. He has led the organization that educates Canada's judges and has been involved with a number of reviews of important social policy issues. Most recently, he chaired the Ontario Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform.

Session Information
Date: April 14, 2008
Topic: Citizen Engagement in Public Policy: Reflections on Ontario’s Citizens’ Assembly

Karen Cohl

Former Executive Director for Ontario’s Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform

Karen Cohl was the Executive Director for Ontario’s Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. A lawyer by training, Karen also served for eight years as Assistant Deputy Minister in the Ontario Public Service. She is currently a private consultant who works with governments, agencies and non-profit organizations to develop and implement public policy.

Session Information
Date: April 14, 2008
Topic: Citizen Engagement in Public Policy: Reflections on Ontario’s Citizens’ Assembly