Council

Samantha Nutt is an award-winning humanitarian, bestselling author and acclaimed public speaker. A medical doctor and the Founder and President of the renowned humanitarian organizations War Child Canada and War Child USA, Dr. Nutt has worked with children and their families at the frontline of many of the world’s major crises – from Iraq to Afghanistan, Somalia to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone to Darfur, Sudan. A leading authority on health, current affairs, conflict, international aid and foreign policy, Dr. Nutt is one of the most intrepid and recognized voices in the humanitarian arena and a highly sought-after public speaker in North America. With a career that has spanned more than two decades and dozens of conflict zones, her international work has benefited millions of war-affected children globally.

Dr. Nutt is a regular foreign affairs panelist on CBC TV NEWS “The National”, and a contributor to NowThis News and published widely across Canada and beyond. Dr. Nutt’s TED Talk, on the deadly impact of small arms, has garnered over a million views on TED.com.

Dr. Nutt’s critically acclaimed debut book, Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid, was a #1 national bestseller. Damned Nations is a bracing and uncompromising account of Dr. Nutt’s work in some of the most devastated regions of the world.

Dr. Nutt has been appointed to the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honour, for her contributions to improving the plight of young people in the world’s worst conflict zones. She has been also been appointed to the Order of Ontario and has been recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Time Magazine has featured Dr. Nutt as one of Canada’s Five Leading Activists and most recently, she was awarded the prestigious Loyola Medal by Concordia University.

Samantha Nutt graduated summa cum laude from McMaster University, earned an M.Sc in Public Health with distinction from the University of London and holds a Fellowship in Community Medicine (FRCPC) from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She is further certified by the College of Family Practice and completed a sub specialization in women’s health through the University of Toronto as a Women’s Health Scholar. Dr. Nutt is the recipient of numerous honorary doctorates from universities in Canada and the U.S.A. Dr. Nutt is a staff physician at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto and is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is a Senior Fellow at Massey College, University of Toronto and is former board member of the David Suzuki Foundation.

Habon Ali is a second-generation Somali-Canadian. She recently graduated as valedictorian from the University of Toronto Mississauga, where she completed a double major in biology and environmental sciences. Habon was actively involved in creating Canada’s first National Youth Policy and advised PM Justin Trudeau for over two years. Currently, she is a graduate student in the MSc program in Global Health at McMaster University, where she is exploring the health and employment experiences of Black youth in Toronto during this pandemic. Habon is a part of the Opportunity For All youth team at MaRS Discovery District, where she works towards improving NEET (not in education, employment, or training) youth employment opportunities. She is passionate about community building and health equity and is always imagining a future where everyone can live out the full potential of their lives.

Olumide (Mide) Akerewusi, M.Sc. (Econ) is Founder and CEO of AgentsC Inc., an international professional fundraising company delivering social impact solutions to the non-profit and corporate sector. Mide has extensive experience working with non-profits in areas of sustainability and organizational change. He has worked with non-profit organizations on the African continent and in Australia, Canada, UK, and the USA.

With over 25 years’ experience as a non-profit expert, Mide has also built partnerships with some of the world’s leading corporations and grant making foundations. Prior to establishing AgentsC, Mide served as Director of Leadership Philanthropy at Pathways to Education Canada, where he helped to kick-start and successfully close the organization’s $185 million Graduation Nation Campaign. Prior to Pathways, Mide served as Chief Development Officer at the YMCA of Greater Toronto. He has led major gift fundraising teams and campaigns at Scope UK, The British Red Cross, and The Children’s Society in England and Wales.

Mide’s most recent project is, The Duality of Giving, a research publication exploring contemporary perspectives of formalized philanthropy on the African continent.

Lloyd Axworthy P.C., C.C., O.M., is the chair of the World Refugee and Migration Council, an international body established to develop solutions to problems in the current refugee system.

Dr. Axworthy led Canada’s election observation mission to Ukraine in 2019. He recently served as Board Chair of CUSO International, a Canadian-based international development agency and is on the executive committee of the International Institute of Sustainable Development. He is past member of the Boards of the MaArthur Foundation and Human Rights Watch.
From 2004 to 2014, Dr. Axworthy was the President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Winnipeg. In his ten years he pioneered community learning programs for Aboriginal and low-income youth.

He served seven years as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and twenty-one years as an elected member of the Canadian Parliament, holding several Cabinet posts, including Minister of Employment and Immigration, Western Diversification and Minister of Foreign Affairs. In that position he was known for his work in advancing the Human Security agenda that included the Treaty on anti-personnel land mines, the International Criminal Court, and the Protocol on Child Soldiers.

In 1997, he was nominated by United States Senator Patrick Leahy for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on banning land mines.

In 2002, he was awarded The Order of Canada and in 2016, he was made a Companion – the highest rank of the Order.

In 2004, he published a book, Navigating a New World.

In August 2017, The American Political Science Association awarded him the Hubert H. Humphrey award for notable public service. The United Nations Association awarded him the Lester B. Pearson Pearson Medal.

Lloyd Axworthy holds a BA from the University of Winnipeg, and Ph.D from Princeton University. In addition, he has received sixteen honourary doctorates since leaving government.

He lives in Winnipeg with his wife, Denise Ommanney. They have three children.

Dr. Andrew Boozary is a primary care physician and Executive Director, Population Health and Social Medicine at the University Health Network. He holds academic appointments as an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the University of Toronto and as an adjunct faculty member at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Dr. Boozary is the founding editor-in-chief of the Harvard Public Health Review and has published in top academic journals including JAMA, BMJ and Health Affairs. Dr. Boozary completed his medical training at the University of Toronto and health policy training at Princeton University (Master in Public Policy) and Harvard University (Master of Science). He has maintained active research as a Visiting Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and is a Senior Fellow at the Wellesley Institute.

At UHN, Dr. Boozary is working to develop, evaluate and scale new models of healthcare delivery for patients with complex health and social needs. During this pandemic, Dr. Boozary also serves as co-lead of the Ontario Health Toronto Region COVID-19 Homelessness Response and is a member of the Canadian Medical Association’s Post-Pandemic Expert Advisory Group. Prior to joining UHN, Dr. Boozary served in senior advisory roles in the provincial and federal government on public policy issues ranging from primary care reform to the implementation of pharmacare.

David H. Farrar is the President and Vice-Chancellor at McMaster University and a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Dr. Farrar took up the position of Acting President in July 2019, having served as Provost and Vice-President (Academic) since October 2017, and was appointed President in December 2019.

Dr. Farrar joined McMaster from the University of British Columbia where he served as
Provost from 2007 to 2015, and subsequently as Advisor to the Interim President and then as Interim President and Vice-Chancellor. Prior to that Dr. Farrar served as Deputy-Provost and Vice-Provost Students at the University of Toronto, where he had responsibility for all central enrolment, student affairs and student service activities.

Dr. Farrar received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Toronto, and his doctorate from the University of Western Ontario. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cambridge and then a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto for 26 years. During that time, he also served as Chair of the Department. He has authored or co-authored over 80 technical papers, holds five patents, and has supervised more than 25 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Dr. Farrar has also served on several external Boards.

Peter Mansbridge is an award-winning journalist, a Distinguished Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto and a member of numerous boards and committees.

He is best known for his five decades of work at the CBC where he was Chief Correspondent of CBC News and anchor of The National for thirty years. He has been won dozens of awards for outstanding journalism, has thirteen honorary doctorates from universities in Canada and the United States, and received Canada’s highest civilian honour, the Order of Canada in 2008.

A lawyer by training, Mark has enjoyed a rich and varied career. He began his professional career in live music, working with several international acts. He has worked at a national law firm, a national broadcaster and has served as a senior political advisor to a national party leader. He is an entrepreneur and investor in digital health and digital media.

Mark is the Executive Vice-President for Think Research, an international cloud-based software firm in Toronto. In that capacity he is responsible for driving all aspects of business development. Think Research operates on 4 continents and employs over 250 people.

Sakamoto’s book, Forgiveness: A Gift from My Grandparents won CBC Canada Reads and has been a #1 national best seller in two separate years. It is currently being developed for screen and theatre.

Mark is the Host and Executive Producer of Good People – a 5-part docuseries that explores humanity’s most pressing problems and the innovative solutions that are being developed in response. It airs on CBC Gem and was co-produced with Vice Media. He sat on the Ontario Media Development Corporation Board for nine years, Chairing the Board for six years. In 2020, Mark was the Giller Prize jury Chair.

He lives in Toronto with his wife and two daughters and visits his hometown of Medicine Hat, Alberta as often as he can.

Dr. Pamela Swett received her PhD in Modern German and European History from Brown University in 1999. She joined McMaster’s Department of History as a faculty member at the conclusion of her graduate studies and served as Chair from 2011 until 2017. From 2017 until her appointment as Dean of the Faculty of Humanities in 2019, she?was the Faculty’s associate dean of graduate studies and research. 

She has served as a Humanities representative on the Arts Research Board, School of Graduate Studies Scholarship Committee, and Senate. At the university level, she has served on several Research Misconduct Tribunals, participated in the search committee for the Dean of Humanities, and assisted in the drafting of the University’s Strategic Research Plan and Pregnancy/Parental Leave Policy.  

As a researcher, Dr. Swett is the author or editor of several books, as well as journal articles and book chapters that deal with various aspects of political culture, commerce, and violence in Germany between 1918 and 1945. She has been awarded grants and prizes from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, the Alexander-von Humboldt-Stiftung, the Thyssen Foundation, the German Historical Institute, the American Historical Association and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. 

Named one of Canada’s Top 10 Notable Speakers by Ignite Magazine, Tina cleverly tackles hot button topics, like diversity and inclusion, in today’s racially complex climate. Audiences describe Tina as “dynamic, highly energetic, relevant and hilarious”. By carefully weaving personal stories with touching humour, her interactive and highly entertaining approach disarms attendees as she breaks down barriers while building bridges of understanding, awareness and compassion. Attendees are inspired to think, behave, act and communicate with positive intention and purpose.

Tina’s work has been featured in the Toronto Star, TSN, CBC Eyeopener, Adrenaline Magazine, Alberta Venture Magazine and U of S Alumni Magazine. She is the President of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (Calgary). Tina has recently been named to McMaster University’s Advisory Council for the Canada Project. Tina has been the face of diversity, literally, when she was chosen to be in Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty representing beauty in diversity. Tina resides in Calgary, AB with her husband and two children.

Dr. Jean Wilson, former Director of McMaster University’s interdisciplinary Arts & Science Program (2010-22), continues to teach in the Artsci Program on a post-retirement basis. Her first degree was an Honours BA in French and German from McMaster. She received her MA and PhD in Comparative Literature as well as her BEd from the University of Toronto, and spent a year as a DAAD Fellow at the University of Tübingen in Germany. Dr. Wilson has also served as Director of Comparative Literature and as Associate Director of Peace Studies at McMaster.

Dr. Wilson’s teaching and research interests are primarily in Comparative Literature, German literature, and interdisciplinary studies. She has published essays on liberal arts education and on a wide range of 18th to 21st century authors. She has been honoured as a 2019 YWCA (Hamilton) Women of Distinction nominee and as the recipient of the McMaster Students Union Teaching Award for Arts & Science, the McMaster Students Union Teaching Award for Humanities, the President’s Award for Excellence in Instruction, and the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Teaching Award.

Sara is Anishinawbe from Brunswick House First Nation in Northern Ontario. She is a Registered Nurse, a Registered Midwife and holds a master’s in business administration (MBA) from the Rotman School of Management. Working more than two decades primarily in sexual and reproductive health, Sara was the founder and managing director of Seventh Generation Midwives Toronto, and co-led the development and implementation of the Toronto Birth Centre, Canada’s first mainstream healthcare facility to use an Indigenous governance and leadership framework.

Today, she is the Director for the Indigenous Innovation Initiative, an innovation platform dedicated to supporting Bold Ideas with Big Impact®. It is one of the largest impact investors in Canada, supporting innovators and communities to identify and solve their own challenges, drive inclusive growth and improve peoples’ lives through Indigenous innovation. Their inaugural program is to advance Indigenous gender equality through innovation and social entrepreneurship.

Sara maintains a passionate belief in the resilience and enduring presence of Indigenous peoples. Improving community and economic development through community driven solutions and local Indigenous leadership, and leveraging strengths-based approaches to deliver positive social impact, will help us to achieve a world where everyone has an equal opportunity to reach their fullest potential.

Sheila Watt-Cloutier is an award-winning author, speaker and environmental, cultural and human rights advocate. She lived was born in Kuujjuaq, Quebec, lived in Iqaluit, Nunavut for 15 years and later returned to her hometown. She was raised traditionally in her early years before being sent away to school at in southern Canada and in Churchill, Manitoba at the age of ten. She is the past Chair of Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), the organization that represents internationally the 155,000 Inuit of Canada, Greenland, Alaska, and Chukotka in the Far East of the Federation of Russia.

Ms. Watt-Cloutier was an elected political spokesperson for Inuit for over a decade. From 1995 to 1998, she was Corporate Secretary of Makivik Corporation, set up under the 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Land Claims Agreement. Defending the rights of Inuit was at the forefront of Ms. Watt-Cloutier’s election as President of ICC Canada in 1995 and re election in 1998. Ms. Watt-Cloutier was spokesperson for a coalition of northern Indigenous Peoples in the global negotiations that led to the 2001 Stockholm Convention banning the generation and use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that contaminate the arctic food web. In 2002, Ms. Watt-Cloutier was elected international Chair of ICC.

Ms. Watt-Cloutier has been at the forefront of Inuit human rights and climate change for decades. In 2005, she filed a climate change-related petition with to the Commission as an urgent message from the Inuit “sentinels” to the rest of the world on global warming’s already dangerous impacts. She has been recognized with numerous awards for her ongoing work, both in Canada and internationally. She was awarded the inaugural Northern Medal by the outgoing Governor General of Canada, Adrienne Clarkson (2005) and was made an Officer in the Order of Canada in December 2006. She was publicly nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by members of the Norwegian parliament, and received the Rachel Carson Prize (2007). UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon presented Sheila with the 2007 Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Award. She was chosen as one of four ‘Canadians who made a difference’ by Canada Post and her life’s work was memorialized in a Canadian Stamp in 2012 commemorating the Jubilee Year. In November 2015, she was one of four Laureates awarded the ‘Right Livelihood Award’ considered the Alternate Nobel Peace Prize which was presented in the Parliament of Sweden.

In 2017 she received the Climate Change Award from the Prince Albert of Monaco Foundation.

Ms. Watt-Cloutier has also been recognized with 22 honorary doctorate degrees across Canada and internationally, including from McMaster University (2008), University of Winnipeg (2007), La Institute Nacionale de la Recherché Scientifique (2008), University of Alberta (2009), Bowdoin College in Maine, USA (2009), and the Law Society of Upper Canada in Toronto (2017), to name a few.

She continues her work with students and young people, including as a mentor to Jane Glassco Fellows who are pan-northern youth working on policy papers for change in the north through the Gordon Foundation. She remains connected to her life’s work through advocacy and teaching. She has taught the Human Dimension of Climate Change both at Bowdoin College, Maine USA and at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB.

She published “The Right To Be Cold” in 2015 and the book was shortlisted for the British Columbia Canadian Non-Fiction Award, The Cohen Shaughnessy for Political writing, the Cobo Emerging Writer Prize and the CBC Canada Reads competition.

Ms. Watt-Cloutier sums up her work by saying: “I do nothing more than remind the world that the Arctic is not a barren land devoid of life but a rich and majestic land that has supported our resilient culture for millennia. Even though small in number and living far from the corridors of power, it appears that the wisdom of the land strikes a universal chord on a planet where many are searching for sustainability.”

Chantal Kreviazuk is Canadian singer, songwriter, composer, pianist, and actress. She has won numerous awards in Canada and internationally for her music and song writing – as well as her humanitarian work.

Her debut album solo was released in 1996, Under these Rocks and Stones, for which she earned her first Juno Award nomination. Over her extensive career, she has released a total of ten studio-recorded albums and earned three Juno Awards (out of six nominations) including for Best Female Artist and Best Pop/Adult Album in 2000 – for her album Colour Moving and Still.

Ms. Kreviazuk has also produced, co-written, and composed songs for other artists and film soundtracks. She won a Grammy Award for Drake’s album Take Care, which she co-produced. She has also worked with a wide variety of artists including Drake, Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Josh Groban, and Kendrick Lamar, to name a few. She has also appeared in several films.

Ms. Kreviazuk is a long-time activist and community-based advocate for a range of issues. In 2014, she was awarded the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award given at the Juno Awards, alongside her husband and partner, for their advocacy work in Canada and internationally. Ms. Kreviazuk is an Honourary Founder of War Child Canada.

Ms. Kreviazuk received the Order of Canada in 2014 for her efforts to raise awareness and support for numerous causes, including human and animal rights, mental health, education and the environment. She was awarded two honorary doctorates – from the University of Winnipeg and from Niagara University. She maintains a wide range of interests from peace to the brain and mental health.

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Ms. Kreviazuk now lives in Toronto and Los Angeles with her husband of twenty-five years, also an artist and activist. They collaborate on artistic projects while parenting three children.