In September 2022, Ms. Gillian Pranke became Assistant Commissioner, Assessment, Benefit, and Service Branch (ABSB) at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). ABSB is responsible for the assessment of taxes, processing a wide range of federal and provincial credits and benefits including the Canada Child Benefit and the Disability Tax Credit, and providing services to Canadians both electronically (e.g. CRA’s online portals such as My Account, My Business Account) and through the CRA contact centres across the country. Ms. Pranke is also CRA’s national champion for Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Ms. Pranke has held a variety of senior level positions within the CRA of increasing responsibility, including Director of the International Tax Services Office, Director of the Ottawa Tax Services Office, and Director of the Ottawa Technology Centre and Director General, Call Centre Services Directorate.

Ms. Pranke holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Ottawa, is a graduate of the Public Service Commission’s DirEXion program, and has completed the Certificate Program in Public Service Leadership and Governance with the University of Ottawa.

Dr. Jennifer Zwicker is the Director of Social Policy and Health at the School of Public Policy, and an associate professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. She also serves as the Canada Research Chair in Disability Policy for Children and Youth, and the Deputy Scientific Officer for Kids Brain Health Network.

With broad interests in the impact of health and social policy on health and socioeconomic outcomes, Dr. Zwicker’s research program assesses interventions and informs policy around allocation of funding, services, and supports for youth with disabilities and their families. Using quantitative and qualitative approaches, her research team looks at access and utilization of supports and services, including the Disability Tax Credit. Recognized for her policy leadership as an Action Canada Alumni, and selection for the Governor General Leadership Forum, Dr. Zwicker’s strong stakeholder and government collaboration has been critical in the translation of peer-reviewed publications to policy papers, op-eds, and briefing notes.

Recently she was a member of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences National Autism Strategy Working Group, and the Royal Society of Canada Expert Working Group where she worked on recommendations to develop disability inclusive policy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Holder of a bachelor’s degree in business administration and father of two children, Guillaume Parent has never let his cerebral palsy get in the way of his aspirations and his autonomy.

After working for a few years in business financing at Fondaction, he noticed that the measures intended for people with disabilities are largely underused. This is what motivated him to found the financial services firm Finandicap in 2010. Being the very first firm to offer the RDSP at the heart of its mission, Finandicap is surrounded by collaborators all bound by a disability.

Furthermore, Mr. Parent is campaigning for a better appropriation of economic rights for this segment of the population. He has been the President of Finandicap since 2010.

My name is Looee Mike, my maiden name is Qappik and before we were given a maiden name Canada gave me a tag with a number E6-842 so my first ever documents are like this; Looee E6-842, Pangnirtung. At least in Pangnirtung RCMP office years ago and at Federal Day School.

I was born in the year of our Lord 1958 in April at Nunataaq in Shark Fjord just north of Cumberland Sound on Baffin Island, Nunavut. I grew up in that home village until I was 4 years old then we were taken.

I went to school here in Pangnirtung for 13 years and were made to repeat grades if I didn't get good marks, for the likes of me, we had no clue.. not our culture.. They were all done in English. It was hard and made no sense. Today, I know some of the reasons why we were sent to school. I have been made to be curious. So I took on my path some challenges to occupy my curiosity and I loved it.

I then went to High School in what we call then Frobisher Bay, Iqaluit at Gordon Robertson Education Centre (GREC) for one year until I was kicked out. When they wanted me to walk to a Dorm in the middle of the coldest month of February, I refused and I got kicked out. So I never went to a school setting again but I went to training at the newest College in Iqaluit, and trained to be a Early Childhood Educator, passed it, made the Dean's List, not sure what that is, and then I started both existing Daycares in Pangnirtung since 1988 and the other 2001 at a local High School so the babies can stay in the school and finish. Both daycares are still operating today. I then went to Theological training to become a Minister in a church and I passed it and was a Pastor for 20 years. Today, I am becoming old and I am very much carrying on many things I did but by volunteering.

I am part of a very important part of our culture, I am a native, an Inuk (eskimo) and I am very much concerned about our culture and Language and do many things to keep our native lifestyle intact so we may never forget who it is that kept our land as though untouched because of how we care for our environment and living off of it. I can be out in the land and survive as our Ancestors did.

My husband and I have been active in making sure our fellow inuit are receiving their rights to have all that our Government offers equally. He has been a member of the legislative assembly for Nunavut. He was very successful and has been because we work side by side as our Ancestors urge that we do. It is never for oneself but for everyone. I have also dealt with Food Insecurity locally and that it connects to petty crimes with youth. I worked for Safety Canada, Youth and Crime Prevention that the local government had worked to have here in Pangnirtung. So we made sure we have work with children and youth on a daily basis. We worked with many groups of people, including RCMP to have sports and we included meals each day. The crime went down in this age group so significantly that it was lowest recorded across Canada wide. Simple sports and food.

Liam Bienstock (he/him) is an occupational therapist specializing in pediatrics and mental health. He received his degree from McGill University and worked at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute in child psychiatry. Liam has experience in specialized and inclusive education and leisure activities from the Mackay Centre School and community organizations. Currently, Liam practices privately in Montreal, providing therapy to children and their families, often assisting with financial documents, like the T2201, as these are tools crucial for accessing services and improving the financial health of people living in Canada.

In addition to his occupational therapy background, Liam also holds a Master's degree in inclusive design from OCAD University, which has fueled his passion for creating accessible/inclusive environments for all individuals through collaboration and co-design. Since graduating, Liam has been conducting research and consulting with different companies and governmental agencies to develop more inclusive practices.

Lastly, Liam is a support person for an Autistic sibling and other disabled individuals in his family, providing him with an additional and personal lens for this work.

Brendon Pooran is the Managing Partner of PooranLaw Professional Corporation, a law firm based in Toronto which provides advice to people with disabilities, their families and community-based organizations within the disability sector. His primary areas of practice include trust and estate planning, disability law and corporate law for non-profits and charities. He has been very involved in law and policy reforms efforts involving issues and initiatives affecting people with disabilities including the legal capacity, affordable housing, social assistance programs and the Registered Disability Saving Plan. In addition to his practice, Brendon is a professor of Disability Law at York University and a former Senior Lawyer Member on the Ontario Consent & Capacity Board. He is also a founding director of PLAN Toronto (now Partners for Planning) and Chair of the Board of Microboards Ontario, both non-profit organizations focused on future planning for people with disabilities and their families. Before entering the legal profession, Brendon spent several years as a management consultant where he advised state and local government agencies in the United States.

Dr. Emile Tompa is a senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health (IWH). Dr. Tompa is a labour and health economist with an MBA from the University of British Columbia. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Toronto and a PhD in economics from McMaster University.

Dr. Tompa has also been appointed associate professor in the Department of Economics at McMaster University, and as assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Tompa was recently appointed executive director of Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA), a mid-term social innovation laboratory that strives to build employer capacity for inclusive employment. IDEA has been funded for a six-year term (2022-2028) by the New Frontiers in Research Transformation Stream.

Dr. Tompa was also the director of the Centre for Research on Work Disability Policy, which was funded for 8 years (2013-2021) by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Grant. He is also a steering committee member of the Disability and Work in Canada initiative, which is a community initiative that hosts an annual stakeholder conference and an annual Federal-Provincial/Territorial policy roundtable.

Liza Arnason holds a bachelor of arts degree, and master’s degree in equity and education. She is an award winning business owner, senior administrator, and educator.

Liza is Owner and Principal of Arnason Consulting, and founder of ASE Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities, where she currently serves as Board Chair. Her career of over 30 years has included roles of leadership and advocacy in critical social and organizational transformation areas. These include education equity (with specific attention to anti-black racism, disability justice, and accommodations), organizational governance and policy, strategic change management, and executive coaching.

Liza has served as inaugural Assistant Dean of Students, Community Outreach, and International Experience at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. She founded the Tri-mentoring Program at Toronto Metropolitan University, and is an adjunct professor at Ontario Tech University.

Across her various roles in post-secondary and other organizational spaces, Liza draws on critical pedagogy and research to identify gaps, and uses evidence-based research to develop recoMme ndations for, and build new models and frameworks to, support marginalized communities. She volunteers her time as a subject expert within community committees including; as a grant reviewer, and as a panelist on working groups such as the ICES People’s Panel: Race and Ethnicity Data Framework (health).

Most importantly, Liz is a mother, grandmother, authentic storyteller, mentor, and unapologetic change agent.

Dr. Housden is a family nurse Practitioner in BC. She has been a nurse for 21 years, and an Nurse Practitioner for 14 years. After completing her Masters in Nursing, Nurse Practitioner at the University of British Columbia she started her PhD and was one of the first Nurse Practitioner to graduate with a PhD in British Columbia. She was a Michael Smith Foundation scholar, participated in the APN Chair Program and was also a Tutor PCH Trainee. Her doctoral focus was on care delivery models with Nurse Practitioners for patients with chronic conditions. She is the Director of Nurse Practitioners in Fraser Health Authority, supporting a team of over 150 Nurse Practitioners and leading the strategy, development and evaluation of Nurse Practitioner roles across practice areas. Her current clinical practice is in Primary Care as a member of the Aboriginal Health team. In 2018 she was honored with a centenary medal from the UBC School of Nursing.

Randy Dickinson is a longtime disability advocate and has a physical mobility disability that requires him to use a power wheelchair for mobility. However his disability has not prevented him from an active professional and volunteer life. He worked for many years for several disability organizations including a long period as the senior staff person of the provincial Premier’s Council on Disabilities and served as their Chairperson after his retirement. He is the past Chair of the NB Human Rights Commission. Mr.Dickinson served as a member of many local, provincial and national committees and boards including the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists and the Canadian Physiotherapy Association.

For his efforts, Randy has received a number of public awards including being named as a Member of the Order of Canada and a Member of the Order of New Brunswick. Randy lives in Fredericton, NB with his wife Karen who is a retired occupational therapist.

Veronika Kiryanova is a published neuroscientist, university instructor, community leader, and mental health advocate. A life-changing neurological event profoundly impacted her communication, mobility, and cognition. This experience sparked her commitment to patient engagement, advocacy, and awareness-building across the healthcare sector and beyond. Veronika collaborates closely with brain injury societies and universities, providing insights and support. She serves as a co-chair, advisor, and research partner on multiple provincial and national research projects. Her goal is to ensure patient voices are heard and that healthcare focuses on everyone's well-being.

Veronika is supported by Luna, her yellow Labrador Retriever from Dogs with Wings Assistance Dog Society.

Noralou Roos is Professor Emerita at the University of Manitoba. As part of her Get Your Benefits project, she worked with health care providers and community groups to ensure people access the benefits they are eligible for. This project promoted the Disability Tax Credit, the Registered Disability Savings Plan and several other benefits which are under subscribed and not understood by many who are eligible.

She Co-Founded the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, which provides research evidence about population health and service use (including that related to disability issues) in Manitoba. Roos organized academics to work with Health Canada and provincial governments, establishing the Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network. This was funded with a $31 million commitment from the Minister of Health in 2009, and $10 million a year of ongoing funding. As Founding Director of EvidenceNetwork.ca, she networked more than 80 high profile academics across the country to ensure research findings are communicated to the public and not just to other academics.

Roos’ contributions have been recognized by the Order of Canada (promoted to Officer), membership in the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and induction to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.

Paul Lupien had three careers in his life before becoming disabled, as an executive chef in a kitchen, as an industrial automation technician specializing in hydroelectric power stations and energy transportation, and as a businessman. He’s still a DJ for fun.

He also volunteered with various community organizations, including Association sportive des aveugles du Québec, where he did a lot of tandem cycling during the summer.

On April 11, 2017, he was diagnosed with a rare neurodegenerative disease, and in November 2017, he was told that he would now have to use a wheelchair and that he could no longer work in his restaurant. Noting accessibility problems for persons with disabilities in 2018, he became involved in the defence of collective rights in Quebec, first with RAPLIQ and later with INÉÉI-PSH. He represents these organizations at the Confédération des organismes de personnes handicapées du Québec (COPHAN) and twice filled in as interim Chair before he officially became the Chair in 2021. Very involved in the community sector, he also sits on the board of directors as a director of the Institut National pour l’Équité, l’Égalité et l’Inclusion des personnes en situation de handicap (INÉÉI-PSH), of the Réseau québécois pour l’inclusion sociale des personnes sourdes et malentendantes (REQIS) and also a member of several committees to represent persons with disabilities in Quebec.