Backgrounder: Biography – Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB)

Backgrounder

Ginette Brazeau, Full-time Chairperson (reappointment)

Ms. Ginette Brazeau was first appointed as Chairperson of the CIRB on December 28, 2014, and has led the organization through significant changes over the past five years.

Prior to her appointment as Chairperson of the CIRB, Ms. Brazeau held the position of Executive Director and General Counsel of the CIRB since September 2012, and was first appointed as Executive Director and Senior Registrar of the CIRB in April 2008. In these capacities, Ms. Brazeau assisted the Chairperson of the Board in the exercise of her overall responsibilities for the administration of the Board and was responsible for case management, legal services and the regional operations of the Board.

Prior to joining the Board, Ms. Brazeau was the Senior Director of Strategic Policy and Legislative Reform with the federal Labour Department and also worked at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service as Director of Legislation, Research and Policy. In these capacities, she was responsible for advising senior management and the Minister of Labour on labour and employment program or legislative initiatives and on the administration of the Canada Labour Code. She started her career in the public service with Industry Canada serving in different positions related to corporate law policy and strategic planning.

Ms. Brazeau serves on the Board of Directors of the Council of Canadian Administrative Tribunals and on various committees of the Association of Labor Relations Agencies. She is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of Ottawa. 

Ms. Brazeau has been reappointed as a full-time Chairperson for a term of five years, effective December 28, 2019.

Allison Smith, Full-time Vice-Chairperson (reappointment)

Ms. Allison Smith was first appointed as Vice-Chairperson of the CIRB on January 5, 2015.

From the time of her call to the Bar in Ontario in 2002 and prior to her appointment as Vice-Chairperson of the CIRB, Ms. Smith’s legal practice focused on labour, employment and human rights law.

Prior to her appointment as Vice-Chairperson of the CIRB, Ms. Smith was Senior Legal Counsel at Canada Post Corporation (CPC) from 2007 to 2015. In this capacity, Ms. Smith provided both legal and strategic advice to internal client groups and represented CPC before a variety of administrative tribunals. Ms. Smith has also worked in private practice and as a senior policy advisor with the Government of Canada.

In addition to her Bachelor of Laws degree (University of Windsor), Ms. Smith also holds a Bachelor of Science (Zoology) degree and a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) degree, both from the University of Toronto.

Ms. Smith has been reappointed as a full-time Vice-Chairperson for a term of five years, effective January 5, 2020.

Annie G. Berthiaume, Full-time Vice-Chairperson (reappointment)

Ms. Annie G. Berthiaume was first appointed as Vice-Chairperson of the CIRB on January 26, 2015.

Ms. Berthiaume devoted her career to matters related to labour and employment law. Having represented not only employers but unions and employees, she has appeared before various administrative tribunals, the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal and the provincial courts of Quebec and Ontario.

At the time of her appointment, Ms. Berthiaume was a partner with the Ottawa firm Bird Richard since February 2012. She also practiced with Norton Rose, Heenan Blaikie and Nelligan O’Brien Payne, and taught labour law at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law.

Fluent in both English and French, Ms. Berthiaume holds Bachelor of Laws from both the Université de Sherbrooke and Queen’s University. She is a member of the bars of Ontario and Quebec.

Ms. Berthiaume has been reappointed as a full-time Vice-Chairperson for a term of five years, effective January 26, 2020.

Roland Hackl, Full-time Vice-Chairperson (appointment)

Mr. Hackl has been working at the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference since 1999 where he held various positions including Vice General Chairperson and General Chairperson (CN Western Canada), National Trustee, and from 2015 to 2019, National Vice President. He was a member of the International Executive Board for the United Transportation Union. He brings expertise with regard to the federal/provincial bargaining cycle for multiple bargaining units, including CN Rail and CP Rail. He also took part in the preparation of written submissions and testimony for appearance at the Standing Committee on Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities, the Senate and the Senate Caucuses. Mr. Hackl also took part in the renewal of the NAFTA agreement.

Mr. Hackl holds a Certificate in specialized labour education with a focus on Labour Law, History, Sociology, Economics, and Political Science from the Labour College of Canada and successfully participated in and completed numerous skill enhancement and development courses.

Mr. Hackl has been appointed as a full-time Vice-Chairperson for a term of five years, effective July 2, 2019.

Sylvie M.D. Guilbert, Full-time Vice-Chairperson (appointment)

Ms. Guilbert has been the Executive Director and General Counsel for the Canada Industrial Relations Board Secretariat since 2014. She is a fluently bilingual Barrister and Solicitor with extensive experience in private practice, as a General Legal Counsel, as a tribunal executive and as a Professor of Law. She regularly appeared before a variety of tribunals and courts and provided advice to senior officials and decision-makers on workplace issues, including human rights, employment law, labour-management relations, collective bargaining, occupational health and safety, labour standards and alternate dispute resolution mechanisms, in the federal private and public sectors, in Canada and internationally.

Ms. Guilbert holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Political Science and History) and a Bachelor of Law from the University of Ottawa, and earned a Master of Law from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. She also studied Law and Political Science at the Université de Nantes in France. She is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and a prior member of the Law Society of British Columbia.

Ms. Guilbert has been appointed as a full-time Vice-Chairperson for a term of five years, effective July 2, 2019

Jennifer L. Webster, Part-time Vice-Chairperson (appointment)

Ms. Webster has her own practice as a mediator, arbitrator and facilitator with a primary focus on labour, employment and human rights law. She is also part of the Federal Ministry of Labour’s list of arbitrators under Part I and adjudicators under Part III of the Canada Labour Code. Prior to starting her alternative dispute resolution practice in 2016, Ms. Webster worked as a conciliation officer and mediator in the Ontario Regional Office of Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. She has also worked as a labour lawyer in private practice and as in-house union counsel.

Ms. Webster sits on the Board of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario. She is a part-time member of the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada and a Mediator/Arbitrator for the Sport Dispute Resolution Council of Canada. She was a part-time Member of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario from 2017 to 2019.

Ms. Webster holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours History) from McGill University. Ms. Webster has been a member of the bar of the Law Society of Ontario since 1992.

Ms. Webster has been appointed as a part-time Vice-Chairperson for a term of five years, effective July 1, 2019

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