by Their Excellencies the Right Honourable David Johnston

State Visits to the Republic of Ghana,
to the Republic of Botswana, and to the Republic of South Africa
by Their Excellencies
the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada
and
Mrs. Sharon Johnston
Delegation
Republic
of Republic
Ghana of Ghana
State
Visit to the
May 13-15, 2013
May 13 to 16, 2013
Republic of Botswana
State Visit to the Republic of Botswana
May 16 May
to 19,
2013
16-18,
2013
Republic
of South
Africa
State
Visit to the
Republic
of South Africa
May 19-22, 2013
May 20 to 22, 2013
Official
Delegation
Delegação
Oficial
Visits to Ghana, Botswana and SouthVisita
Africaao
2013
Brasil, 2012
His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston
Governor General of Canada
David Johnston began his professional career as an assistant professor in the
Faculty of Law at Queen’s University in 1966, moving to the Law Faculty at
the University of Toronto in 1968. He became dean of the Faculty of Law at
the University of Western Ontario in 1974. In 1979, he was named principal
and vice-chancellor of McGill University, and in July 1994, he returned to
the McGill Faculty of Law as a full-time professor. In June 1999, he became the fifth president of
the University of Waterloo. Mr. Johnston has served on many provincial and federal task forces and
committees. He has also served on the boards of a number of companies, including Arise, CGI, Fairfax,
and Masco. He was president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and of the
Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec. He was the founding chair of
the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, chaired the federal government’s
Information Highway Advisory Council, and served as the first non-American chair of the Board of
Overseers at Harvard University. He is the author or co-author of two dozen books, holds honorary
doctorates from over a dozen universities, and has been awarded the Order of Canada (Companion).
Mr. Johnston holds an LL.B. from Queen’s University (1966), an LL.B. from the University of Cambridge
(1965), and an AB from Harvard University (1963). While at Harvard, he was twice selected for the
All-American hockey team and is a member of Harvard’s Athletic Hall of Fame. His academic
specializations include securities regulation, information technology and corporate law.
Her Excellency Sharon Johnston
Mrs. Johnston graduated as a physical and occupational therapist in 1966, from the
University of Toronto. She worked in the area of child psychiatry. She completed a
master’s and doctorate in rehabilitation science, all while raising her five daughters.
At the master’s level, she studied a more effective way of clearing the small
airways of cystic fibrosis sufferers. Her doctoral thesis examined the coordination of
respiratory muscles during normal speech, stuttered speech and singing. Her thesis
resulted in the publication of scientific articles on respiratory mechanics.
While her husband, David Johnston, was president of the University of Waterloo (Ontario),
Mrs. Johnston managed for 12 years a hundred-acre farm and a small horse-boarding business
called Chatterbox Farm.
Mrs. Johnston has a novel-in-progress, begun in the postgraduate program for writers
at Humber College. The novel is a fictional account of life in southwestern Alberta during a colourful,
post-Great War era, and is based on the experiences of Mrs. Johnston’s grandmother.
Delegation
DelegaçãoOfficial
Oficial
Visits to Ghana, Botswana and South
Africa
Visita
ao2013
Brasil, 2012
Deepak Obhrai (South Africa)
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Deepak Obhrai was born in Tanzania and attended school on three separate continents:
Tanzania, India and the United Kingdom. He immigrated to Canada with his family
in 1977. In Canada, he became heavily involved in his community, acting as president
of the India–Canada Association, the Monterey Community Association and the Hindu
Society of Calgary. He was also vice-president of the National Indo-Canadian Council.
Mr. Obhrai was first elected as the member of Parliament for Calgary East in 1997, and was subsequently
re-elected five times. In 2006, he was appointed parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In 2008, he was vested with the additional responsibility of serving as parliamentary secretary to the
Minister of International Co-operation. Currently, Mr. Obhrai serves as parliamentary secretary to the
Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also serves as chair of the Canada–Indonesia Parliamentary Friendship Group.
As the former chair of the Canada–India Parliamentary Friendship Group, he initiated many activities that
led to further strengthening of Canada’s relations with India. For the past 10 years, Mr. Obhrai has also
hosted an annual event on Parliament Hill to mark Diwali, which has evolved to become Canada’s National
Diwali Celebration. Africa is Deepak’s other great passion. Born and raised in Tanzania, he has travelled
widely across the continent and continues to work hard to build bridges of understanding between Canada
and countries of Africa. He is a member of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association. Mr. Obhrai remains
committed to ensuring that the voices of Canada’s multicultural communities are heard in Ottawa, and has
been recognized for his contributions to the Indo-Canadian community. In January 2009, the Government
of India awarded him with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award, the highest honour given to
overseas Indians. In 2008, India Abroad newspaper named him one of 35 most influential Indo-Canadians
in Canada. In 2006, he was honoured with awards from the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce Ottawa
Business Council and from the National Indo-Canadian Council.
Mr. Obhrai and his wife, Neena, have three children and two grandchildren.
David McGuinty
Member of Parliament
David McGuinty is a bilingual lawyer who has worked with governments, businesses
and non-profit organizations around the world. Based in Côte d’Ivoire from 1988 to
1990, he worked with UNICEF on the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child in 23 West and Central African countries.
In London, U.K., from 1990 to 1993, David taught law at King’s College,
while practicing environmental and commercial law. He was then seconded to
the International Development Law Organization, in Rome, where he designed and taught advanced courses
for lawyers, judges and senior officials from throughout the developing world. Returning to Canada in 1995,
he was appointed president and CEO of the Prime Minister’s National Round Table on the Environment
and the Economy. He was also a senior advisor to the International Development Research Centre,
the Rockefeller Foundation and LEAD International, on sustainability training. In June 2004, David was
elected to the House of Commons as member of Parliament for Ottawa South. Re-elected in 2006, 2008
and 2011, he has served as official Opposition house leader and as the Liberal Party critic for environment,
energy, transportation, natural resources, and science and technology.
He is president of GLOBE Canada.
Official
Delegation
Delegação
Oficial
Visits to Ghana, Botswana and SouthVisita
Africaao
2013
Brasil, 2012
Peter Braid
Member of Parliament
Peter Braid was elected member of Parliament for Kitchener-Waterloo in 2008,
and re-elected in 2011. Peter received his degree in international relations from the
University of Toronto, in 1989. He has a diverse background in both the private and
public sectors, including the Immigration and Refugee Board, and Sun Life Financial.
In Ottawa, Peter is the vice-chair of the House of Commons Government
Operations and Estimates Committee, and is a member of the Industry,
Science and Technology Committee. In addition, he is a vice-chair of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary
Association, and has traveled to Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan, fostering working relationships
among Parliamentarians and international organizations. Peter represents a dynamic community that is
focused on education, innovation and entrepreneurialism. With two world-class universities, as well as
the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and the Centre for International Governance Innovation
(CIGI), Kitchener-Waterloo is an important centre of research and technology that contributes to
the advancement of knowledge and the development of innovative enterprises. Recognizing the
importance of charitable organizations to the well-being of society, Peter is an important advocate for
Canadian charities.
Peter and his wife, Annette, have two daughters: Tamara and Alexandra.
John Rafferty
Member of Parliament
John Rafferty is the current member of Parliament for Thunder Bay–Rainy River
and a member of the New Democratic Party caucus in the House of Commons,
in Ottawa, Ontario. He was first elected in the 2008 and subsequently re-elected in 2011.
Mr. Rafferty has served as an educator in Canada and abroad. He earned his
Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Waterloo (1978), where he
specialized in English and theatre arts, and a Bachelor of Education from the
University of Western Ontario (1979), where he specialized in intermediate- and senior-level education.
He has taught in Yellowknife and was the first high school principal in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. He is
an alumnus of World University Service Canada (WUSC) and lived abroad while working as a teacher
in Nigeria, and as a field director in Lesotho and Botswana, for more than six years. He has also
worked as a broadcaster and owned a small business. After earning a diploma in broadcasting from
Confederation College (1994), he hosted an afternoon radio talk show on CKPR, prior to entering
political life. He also started and successfully ran Rafferty Communications, a small business dedicated
to producing voice-overs for health, training and safety CD-ROMs. Mr. Rafferty is also a dedicated
community volunteer, having served with Special Olympics Ontario and the Voyageur Lion’s Club. He is
also a supporter of a number of arts and cultural groups including the Pictograph Gallery, in Atikokan,
and the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, among others.
Mr. Rafferty also holds a certificate in dispute resolution from Lakehead University. He presently lives
with his partner, Pam, and is the proud father of five adult children.
Delegation
DelegaçãoOfficial
Oficial
Visits to Ghana, Botswana and South
Africa
Visita
ao2013
Brasil, 2012
Trudy Kernighan
High Commissioner of Canada to the Republic of Ghana
Trudy Kernighan became high commissioner for Canada to Ghana in 2010. She also
covers the Republic of Togo and the Republic of Sierra Leone. Her 30-year
diplomatic career has included assignments in Yugoslavia, South Africa, India and
Ghana. She has also served in director capacities in human resource management
and finance at the headquarters of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration,
in Ottawa, Canada. She assumed ever-increasing levels of responsibility including
her most recent post as an immigration program manager covering 18 eastern
Africa countries.
Mrs. Kernighan received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Waterloo, and a Bachelor of
Education from the University of Western Ontario.
Lisa Stadelbauer
High Commissioner of Canada to the Republic of Botswana
Lisa Stadelbauer received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Western Ontario
in 1988, and then joined External Affairs and International Trade Canada in 1990.
Her first assignment abroad was in 1992, to Tel Aviv, Israel; she later served in
Hanoi, Vietnam, as a counsellor, then in Oslo, Norway, as a counsellor and consul.
In Ottawa, she worked with the India, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal and Bhutan
desks, with the Middle East Peace Process Coordination Group, and with
the United Nations and Commonwealth Affairs Division. She was the director of the Eastern and
Southern Africa Division and deputy to Canada’s Africa Personal Representative to the G-8 before her
appointment as ambassador of Canada to the Republic of Zimbabwe, with accreditation to Botswana
and Angola.
Ms. Stadelbauer is married to Mr. Brad Adams, and they have two daughters, Olivia and Samantha.
She succeeded Barbara Richardson in October 2011.
Official
Delegation
Delegação
Oficial
Visits to Ghana, Botswana and SouthVisita
Africaao
2013
Brasil, 2012
Gaston (Gastone) Barban
High Commissioner of Canada to the Republic of South Africa
During his career, Gaston Barban has occupied a number of managerial and
executive positions, in Ottawa and abroad, with experience in administration,
public affairs and communications, information management and technology,
and diplomacy.
Mr. Barban joined the Passport Office of the then-named Department of
External Affairs in 1978. In 1981, he became the first regional director of the
newly opened London Regional Passport Office. Mr. Barban returned to Ottawa in 1983. In 1987,
he was appointed deputy director of the Domestic Communications Division. From 1989 to 1993,
Mr. Barban was first secretary and head of Public Affairs and Culture at the Canadian Embassy
in Rome, Italy. In 1993, Mr. Barban returned to the Bureau of Communications as deputy director of the
Foreign Policy Communications Division. In 1998, he was asked to create the Communications Programs
and Outreach Division. He was promoted to the executive ranks of the Public Service of Canada in
1999, and named director of the new division, where he expanded the department’s outreach program,
aimed at increasing public awareness of Canada’s international relations. In 2001, Mr. Barban was posted
to Canberra, Australia, as deputy high commissioner. He served as Canada’s acting high commissioner to
Australia from July 2004 to July 2005.
He returned to Ottawa and was appointed deputy chief information officer and then, in July 2008,
chief information officer and director general of the Information Management and Technology Bureau.
On November 23, 2012, Mr. Barban was named high commissioner to the Republic of South Africa,
with concurrent accreditation to the Republic of Namibia.
He was raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. He graduated from Carleton University, in Ottawa,
with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in 1977. He is married to Jane Barban (nee Wilson) and they have
two children, Matthew and Alicia.
Delegation
DelegaçãoOfficial
Oficial
Visits to Ghana, Botswana and South
Africa
Visita
ao2013
Brasil, 2012
Stephen Wallace
Secretary to the Governor General of Canada
One of nine children from a naval family originating in the Atlantic provinces,
Mr. Wallace grew up in Halifax and Ottawa, studied the arts and business
administration, and has focused much of his career on international affairs and
public administration. His early work as a teacher, volunteer, diplomat and aid
worker concentrated mainly on Africa and Central America. Mr. Wallace spent many
years with the Canadian International Development Agency, where he managed
several reconstruction programs and served as the vice-president of the Afghanistan Task Force.
His public policy assignments included the Special Joint Committee of Parliament Reviewing Canadian
Foreign Policy, as well as work on civil society with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development. As a senior public servant, Mr. Wallace served as assistant secretary of government
operations at the Treasury Board Secretariat, and most recently, as associate deputy minister for the
Department of Canadian Heritage. He is a recipient of the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of
Canada Medal. Stephen Wallace became Secretary to the Governor General in February 2011.
Patricia Malikail
Director General of Africa Bureau
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Patricia Malikail joined the Department of External Affairs in 1981. She has served
in Canberra, Beijing and Singapore. During her tenure as deputy director of the
China Division (1994-1996), Ms. Malikail was recognized with a Government of
Canada Merit Award.
Her headquarters assignments have spanned relations with Korea, international energy issues, and
trade and development issues. Ms. Malikail led the team that formulated Canada’s Least Developed
Countries Market Access Initiative. The initiative came into effect in 2003. From 2004-2008, Ms. Malikail
was the director of the International Economics Relations and Summits Division. During this period,
she managed a wide range of economic, trade, investment and security files for eight G8 and APEC
leaders summits, and assisted Canada’s G8 Sherpa. From 2008-2011, Ms. Malikail served as executive
director of the Science, Technology and Innovation Council Secretariat. The council is an advisory body
appointed by the minister of Industry and comprises 18 eminent Canadians from business, academia
and government. Ms. Malikail oversaw the preparation of independent advice to the government and
major reports on the performance of Canada’s science, technology and innovation system.
After serving as acting director general of the Africa Bureau of the Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade Canada since October 2011, Ms. Malikail was appointed its director general in
July 2012. Ms. Malikail is married and has two sons.
Official
Delegation
Delegação
Oficial
Visits to Ghana, Botswana and SouthVisita
Africaao
2013
Brasil, 2012
Sonya Thissen
Deputy Chief of Protocol of Canada
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Sonya Thissen has been with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International
Trade for nearly 20 years. She has worked in a number or areas including
investment promotion, science and technology, European trade relations,
film and television, forestry and mining, and clean technologies.
She also served as deputy director of arts promotion, overseeing a grant program
for Canadian artists and cultural groups to pursue representational and trade
activities internationally. In 2005, Ms. Thissen became the executive director of the Governor General’s
Performing Arts Awards Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recognizing lifetime
artistic achievement and celebrating excellence in the arts. A signature event of the awards was a
tribute performance and gala at the National Arts Centre, in Ottawa, that was broadcast across Canada
in English and French. In 2009, Ms. Thissen joined the Office of Protocol where she has worked on
numerous high-level visits and events, including the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
She holds a M.A. in international affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at
Carleton University, and a B.A. (Hons.) in political science and a B.A. in business administration from
the University of Western Ontario.
Accompanying
Delegation
Accompanying
Delegation
Délégation d’accompagnement
Visits
to Ghana,
Botswana
South Africa
2013 2012
Visits
to Barbados
andand
Trinidad
and Tobago
Visite à la Barbade et à Trinité-et-Tobago 2012
The Honourable Perrin Beatty (Ghana & Botswana)
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
The Honourable Perrin Beatty is the president and CEO of the 200 000-member
Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canada’s largest and most representative
national business association. Mr. Beatty is its principal spokesperson, advocating
the policy positions of the Canadian Chamber’s members to the federal
government, international organizations, the media and the general public. Prior to
joining the Canadian Chamber in August 2007, Mr. Beatty was the president and
CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME).
A descendant of one of Canada’s most prominent manufacturing families, Mr. Beatty grew up
in Fergus, Ontario, and graduated from the University of Western Ontario, in 1971. In 1972,
he was elected to the House of Commons as a Progressive Conservative and in 1979, he was
appointed minister of State (Treasury Board) in the government of Joe Clark. He held six additional
portfolios in subsequent Progressive Conservative governments, including National Revenue
in 1984; Solicitor General in 1985; National Defence in 1986; Health and Welfare in 1989;
Communications in 1991; and Secretary of State for External Affairs in 1993. In 1994, Mr. Beatty joined
a number of private-sector boards and worked as a consultant in the field of communications. He was
an honorary visiting professor with the Department of Political Science at the University of Western
Ontario. He wrote a weekly column on government and politics for a major Canadian newspaper.
From 1995 to 1999, Mr. Beatty was president and CEO of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
Mr. Beatty has served on a number of Canadian government advisory committees, is a member of the
advisory council of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, and is a member of the board
of directors of the Canadian International Council. In 2008, Mr. Beatty was named chancellor of the
University of Ontario Institute Of Technology. In 2012, Mr. Beatty became a member of the board of
directors of Mitsui Canada.
Accompanying
Delegation
Accompanying
Delegation
VisitsVisits
to Ghana,
Botswana
andTrinidad
South Africa
to Barbados
and
and 2013
Tobago 2012
Délégation d’accompagnement
Visite à la Barbade et à Trinité-et-Tobago 2012
Dr. Amit Chakma
President and Vice-Chancellor, Western University and
Chair, World University Service of Canada (WUSC)
Amit Chakma is the 10th President & Vice-Chancellor of Western University. Dr. Chakma
arrived at Western in July 2009 after serving the University of Waterloo since 2001
as Vice-President, Academic & Provost, and as a professor in the Department of
Chemical Engineering. Prior to that, he served as Dean of Engineering and then
Vice-President (Research) and International Liaison Officer at the University of Regina.
He began his academic career as a professor of chemical and petroleum engineering at the University of
Calgary. On November 22, 2012, Western’s Board of Governors re-appointed Dr. Chakma to a second term as
President extending to June 30, 2019.
Dr. Chakma is a graduate of the Algerian Petroleum Institute (Dip. Ing., 1982) and the University of
British Columbia (Master of Applied Science, 1984 and PhD, chemical engineering, 1987). The author
of more than 100 articles, he is a leading expert in areas related to petroleum research and energy
management. His research interests include mass transfer, gas separation, gas processing, membrane
separation, petroleum waste management, greenhouse gas control technology, and energy and
environmental systems modeling. In addition to his roles at Western, Dr. Chakma currently serves as Chair
of the World University Service of Canada, as a member of the Board of Directors for the Ontario Centres
of Excellence, and as a member of the Science, Technology & Innovation Council of Canada. He also
served as Chair of the Federal government’s Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy.
In 1998, Dr. Chakma was recognized with Canada‘s Top 40 Under 40 Award, given annually to honour
Canada’s best and brightest in their fields younger than 40. He is also a fellow of the Canadian
Academy of Engineering, and he received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 in recognition of
his contributions to Canadian post-secondary education.
Paul Davidson
President, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC)
Paul Davidson was appointed President of the AUCC in May 2009. In 2011 AUCC marked
its 100th anniversary as the voice of Canada’s universities. AUCC has been instrumental
in public policy development in higher education and research for ten decades.
In addition to advancing the mission of higher education and research in Canada;
the AUCC plays a leading role in internationalizing Canada’s campuses.
Prior to joining AUCC, Mr. Davidson was the Executive Director of World University
Service of Canada (WUSC) an international development agency active on 70 campuses across Canada,
and 17 countries overseas, including Ghana and Botswana. Mr. Davidson has held senior positions
in the Canadian book publishing including five years as Executive Director of the Association of
Canadian Publishers. Mr. Davidson has also served as an advisor to the Leader of the Opposition,
Treasurer and Deputy Premier in Canada’s largest province, Ontario.
Mr. Davidson holds a MA from Queen’s University in Kingston where he studied southern African history,
and a BA from Trent University, where he was in the first class of the Trent International Program.
Mr. Davidson is married to Elly Vandenberg, and they have three sons.
Accompanying
Delegation
Accompanying
Delegation
Délégation d’accompagnement
Visits
to Ghana,
Botswana
South Africa
2013 2012
Visits
to Barbados
andand
Trinidad
and Tobago
Visite à la Barbade et à Trinité-et-Tobago 2012
Derek Evans
Executive Director, Cuso International
Derek G. Evans is the executive director of Cuso International, an international
development organization supporting programs in some 40 countries. He has an
extensive background in senior management and governance in the NGO sector,
both nationally and internationally.
His primary background is in education and human rights. He served through the
1990s as deputy secretary general of Amnesty International. From 2000 to 2005,
he was executive director of the Naramata Centre for Continuing Education, one of Canada’s foremost
experiential learning institutes.
In 2005, he was appointed associate of the Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University, and served as
principal of an independent consultancy providing strategic policy and planning services, largely in support
of UN and other international agencies dedicated to advancing the Millennium Development Goals.
Mr. Evans has served as a peace negotiator in numerous civil conflicts, and has led more than
70 international delegations throughout the world. He is the author or co-author of 14 books on human
rights and international development. In 2010, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in recognition of
his work in human rights and interfaith dialogue, and a Vision Award for strategic leadership.
Craig Kielburger (Botswana and South Africa)
Co-Founder, Free the Children
Craig Kielburger is a social entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, and
syndicated columnist.
He co-founded Free The Children in 1995, when he was 12 years old. Today, more than
1.7 million young people are involved in its programs. In North America, the organization
provides comprehensive service learning programs, including its We Day celebrations,
which are attended annually by more than 160 000 students from 3 000 participating schools.
Internationally, the organization works in eight developing countries, providing a holistic
and sustainable development model that includes education, health care, food security, clean water,
and alternative income programs. Its programs have empowered more than one million beneficiaries.
Alongside his brother Marc, Craig is also the co-founder of Me to We, an innovative social enterprise
that seeks to support the work of Free The Children by providing socially conscious products
and experiences. Craig is the author of ten books. He holds 13 honorary doctorates and degrees,
and has received the Order of Canada, the Roosevelt Freedom Medal, and the World Children’s
Prize for the Rights of the Child. He has made multiple appearances on “The Oprah Winfrey Show”
and “60 Minutes”, and his work has been featured in National Geographic, TIME and The Economist.
Accompanying
Delegation
Accompanying
Delegation
VisitsVisits
to Ghana,
Botswana
andTrinidad
South Africa
to Barbados
and
and 2013
Tobago 2012
Délégation d’accompagnement
Visite à la Barbade et à Trinité-et-Tobago 2012
Jean Lebel
Acting President, International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
With his wide-ranging experience in research for development, particularly in
the areas of the environment and agriculture, Jean Lebel oversees all of IDRC’s
research programming.
As a pioneering environmental health specialist, Lebel frequently comments on
issues ranging from agriculture and food security to the impact of the environment
on health, as well as the management of natural resources and climate change. Lebel joined IDRC
in 1997, and has been a team leader of the Ecosystems and Human Health program and director
of the Agriculture and Environment program. Lebel is an associate editor of the journal Ecohealth.
He is also IDRC’s representative to the board of directors of the International Institute for Sustainable
Development, and to the Fund Council of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.
In 2001, Lebel received the first Prix Reconnaissance from the Faculty of Sciences at the Université du
Québec à Montréal (UQAM) for his work on protecting ecosystems and human health in developing countries.
Lebel has a PhD in environmental sciences from UQAM.
Rodney N. Thomas
First Vice President, Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada
Rod Thomas is first vice president and incoming president (2014–2016) of the
Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC). Throughout his career,
Mr. Thomas has worked in mineral exploration and development in both the senior
and junior mining sectors as an exploration geologist and executive. He is a strong
advocate of the mineral exploration and development industry as a primary driver of
wealth creation in Canada and around the world.
Mr. Thomas initially became involved with the PDAC as a volunteer with the Convention Committee
in the early 1990s, and worked his way up to eventually chair the convention during the rapid growth
period of 2006 to 2008. Since becoming a director in 2006, he has also served on the audit committee,
sits on the executive committee as first vice president and incoming president (2014–2016), and is a
member of the awards committee. He received his undergraduate degree in earth sciences from McGill
University, followed by an Applied Master of Science degree from Queen’s University. After finishing his
postgraduate education in geology in the late 1970s, he worked in mineral exploration for several major
mining companies, including Urangesellschaft, SMDC (now Cameco), Utah Mines and BHP (now BHP‐
Billiton). After leaving BHP, he worked in the junior sector in various senior roles in both technical and
executive capacities. He returned to the senior mining sector in 2008, and is currently general manager
and director of Votorantim Metals Canada Inc., a subsidiary of Votorantim Metais, which is part of the
Votorantim Group of Brazil.
Mr. Thomas lives in Oakville, Ontario, and is married to Peggy; together they have three adult children:
Aislinn, Zachary and Kaitlin.