Community

I am passionately committed to the ideal of a public intellectual. My contributions focus on three distinct communities: governments; the nonprofit sector; and educators.

My work has impacted public policy in many ways. As an expert on the nonprofit sector and anti-discrimination law, I have consulted for the federal Information Commissioner, the Virtual Museum of Canada, Parks Canada, Library and Archives Canada, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, and provincial human rights commissions, among others. I have testified before the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights and served as an Expert Witness in court. My engagement has informed legal reforms, public education programs, and the development of heritage sites. I also led a national research team to study state funding for the nonprofit sector. We produced innovative digital infrastructure (statefunding.ca) that fostered transparency in public finances and assisted governments (especially small municipalities) in modifying their funding policies.

I have served on the boards of numerous NGOs. I routinely collaborate with a diversity of organizations such as the Affiliation of Multicultural Service Agencies of B.C., Powered By Data, the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. I have also helped organize local community events, such as Human Rights Day and Global Youth Assembly, and served as a Youth Education Program Intervener with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, among many other programs.

My commitment to public education includes extensive engagement with the media (English and French); interviews for documentaries; writing articles for magazines and online forums; creating and maintaining a popular historical website and database on state funding for the nonprofit sector; and engaging the public on social media. I frequently interact with local, national, and international audiences, which includes travelling to small towns – from Gander in Newfoundland and Labrador to McBride in British Columbia – where I share my research through presentations at local libraries or museums.

I have served on the following committees and organizations (past & present):

  • Graduate Director (Sociology)
  • Associate Chair (Graduate)
  • Faculty Evaluation Committee
  • FEC Policy Committee
  • Academic Staff Hiring Committee, Campus St. Jean
  • Faculty of Graduate Studies Awards and Scholarships
  • Support for the Advancement of Scholarship Committee
  • Arts Faculty Council
  • Academic Staff Hiring Screening Committees (incl Campus St Jean and Faculty of Law)
  • Advisory Evaluation Committee
  • Graduate Admission and Awards
  • Graduate Program and Policy
  • Peer-teaching evaluations
  • Peer-mentor new faculty
  • Undergraduate Teaching Committee

Site Resources

Detailed resources outlining the history of Human Rights in Canada.

Social Media

Follow on social media for updates and interesting facts about human rights and social movements in Canada.