Meet the Council of Canadians’ Board of Directors

The Council of Canadians is governed by an exceptional volunteer board of directors. The Board is composed of a purposeful mix of the various voices in Canada who are committed to the protection of the commons, mother earth and social justice, and therefore along with Chapter activists, represents a mix of Indigenous, labour, environmentalist, student and human rights activists.

	Morna Ballantyne, Treasurer, is a skilled leader with an extensive background in progressive movements, both in the labour movement and in the broader, community-based movement for social and economic justice.
	John Cartwright, Chairperson, is dedicated to building the strength of the Council of Canadians in every region while engaging Canada’s many diverse communities. Cartwright is the President of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council, representing 200,000 union members who work in every sector of the economy. Read more.
	Justine De Jaegher is the Executive Director of the Canadian Federation of Students, representing over 500,000 college and university students in Canada. She is passionate about access to education and climate, social, and economic justice.
	Ron East has a PhD in Theatre Studies, is a playwright, director/choreographer, and a teacher. He specializes in creative approaches to activism with a theatrical flair. East is the Chair of the Council of Canadians Guelph Chapter and is the Ontario-Quebec-Nunavut Regional Chapter Representative to the Board.
	Nita Grass, a Tsilhqot'in, is an activist who is passionate about water and food safety issues. Nita is a long-time member of the Council of Canadians and a strong advocate for Indigenous rights.
	David Greenfield is an environmental, peace and social justice activist based in Saskatoon. Greenfield is involved in many issues, from opposing uranium mining, nuclear power, corporate-driven free trade to working for community-based economics and preventing climate catastrophe. Greenfield is the Prairies Regional Chapter Representative to the Board.
	Joey Hartman, Secretary, retired as president of the Vancouver & District Labour Council in 2018. She has spent 40 years as a labour, community and social justice activist, including many years on staff of the Hospital Employees’ Union. In addition to the Council of Canadians, Joey is on the boards of the BC Labour Heritage Centre, Vancouver Community College and Pacific Blue Cross. She also serves on the Labour Studies Advisory Committee at Simon Fraser University.
	Laila Malik is an expert in communications and fundraising with over 20 years of experience working within social movements. She has a background in gender justice and equity.
	Joe Mihevc is active on a host of global and local social justice and environmental issues, He facilitates strategies to build more socially just and sustainable communities.
	Navjeet Sidhu is a labour and migrant justice activist and currently works as a researcher with Unifor. He has been involved with a number of grassroots activists groups and has served as a board member for several non-profit organizations.
	Alice-Anne Simard, Vice Chairperson, is the Executive Director of Nature Québec, an organization that actively works for the conservation of natural environments and the sustainable use of resources in Quebec.
	Deedee Slye is a communications expert with campaigns and coalition-building skills. Based in Halifax, she brings a deep knowledge of the political landscape and issues facing the Atlantic provinces.
	Rick Sawa is a long-time educator who is now retired. Rick is based in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and has worked extensively with Indigenous peoples.
	Steven Staples is a Canadian policy analyst and president of Public Response, a digital agency that services non-profit organizations and trade unions in the fields of online engagement and government relations. He also founded the Rideau Institute.
	Paul Strome is a retired educator who taught in Nunavut and Ontario for 31 years and now lives in Cheticamp, Nova Scotia. Strome serves as the Atlantic Regional Chapter Representative and is an advocate for environmental issues, Indigenous rights and social justice.