Summary of affiliations and interests of the Expert Panel: Cannabis Act legislative review

In accordance with the Health Canada Policy on External Advisory Bodies (2022), all members are asked to disclose affiliations and interests relevant to the Cannabis Act Legislative Review Expert Panel and its mandate. Members will be required to regularly review their affiliations and interests and advise the Chair and Secretariat of potential concerns.

Summaries of affiliations and interests are provided based on the following questions.

  1. Direct financial interests
    • Do you, your spouse/partner, or dependent family member have any current direct financial interests (i.e., current employment, investments in companies, partnerships, equity, royalties, joint ventures, trusts, real property, stocks, shares or bonds) in the regulated cannabis, therapeutic product, and/or medical device industries, or any other private sector industry with interests in pain management?
  2. Indirect financial interests
    1. Within the past five years, have you, your spouse/partner, or dependent family member received payment for work done or being done, or financial support, from a private sector organization that has an interest in the mandate of the advisory body? Include past employment, contracts or consulting, research support, personal education grants, contributions, fellowships, sponsorships, and honoraria for teaching, speaking, or writing engagements.
    2. Within the past five years, have you, your spouse/partner, or dependent family member received materials, discounted products, gifts, or other benefits, or attended conferences or meetings where all or part of the travel and accommodation costs were provided by a private sector organization that has an interest in the mandate of the advisory body?
    3. Within the past five years, have any of the organizations where you, your spouse/partner, or dependent family member are currently employed or where you or your spouse/partner participate in internal decision making (that is, as a board member or as an executive or non-executive director), received grants or other funding from a private sector organization that has an interest in the mandate of the advisory body?
  3. Intellectual interests
    1. Within the past five years, have you provided any formal advice or opinion to industry; a Canadian federal, provincial, territorial or municipal government; a foreign government; or a non-government organization on a matter of relevance to the mandate of the advisory body? Include expert testimony or acting as witness (full or part-time), participation on an advisory body, etc.
    2. Have you made public a statement (speeches, lobbying, etc.) or publicly stated a point of view (including in scientific papers, articles, journals, or other publications, or on websites) on issues of relevance to the advisory body's mandate?
    3. Do you currently have any professional or volunteer affiliations (such as membership in professional/scientific societies, trade associations, and lobbying, public interest, or advocacy groups) that may have an interest in the mandate and work of this advisory body?
  4. Other
    1. Do you, your spouse/partner, or dependent family member have any other affiliations and interests, or potential circumstances that might give a well-informed member of the public reasonable apprehension or grounds for concern regarding the integrity and objectivity of participation in this advisory body?
    2. Are you active on social media on issues relevant to this advisory body?
Summary of affiliations and interests
Name location Indicated sector and expertise, experience Summary of responses

Morris Rosenberg

Chair

Ontario

Lawyer and former senior civil servant

1a. 2a. 2b. 2c. 3a. 3b. 3c. 4a. 4b.
No No Yes No Yes No No No No

Comments

  • Volunteered his services but did receive funding for travel and accommodation costs to attend Canadian Drug Policy Coalition in Vancouver.
  • Provided advice on final report of Canadian Drug Futures Forum and although not paid for advice was receiving a salary in role as President and CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.
  • Social media: Not active

Dr. Oyedeji Ayonrinde

Member

Ontario

Psychiatry, medical expert specializing in cannabis education and Chair of Commission on Black Medical Students 1a. 2a. 2b. 2c 3a. 3b. 3c. 4a. 4b.
No No No No Yes Yes Yes No No

Comments

  • Provided advice on cannabis awareness through interviews with Health Canada and was a member of an expert panel providing health information on understanding cannabis for TV, social media and other information channels (2018).
  • Provided expert testimony to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs (2019) on cannabis legalization and provided presentations on cannabis awareness to several regiments of the Canadian Armed Forces (2018-2019).
  • Continues to provide advice as Scientific Advisor to the Schizophrenia Society of Canada and contributes to the cannabis awareness curriculum of YouthRex.
  • Has made public statements or publicly stated a point of view through articles and published papers on the topics of cannabis, risk of harm in young people and the promotion of the importance of cannabis literacy
  • Social media: Not active but has posted comments on public health cannabis awareness issues on Twitter as well as acknowledged presentations made on cannabis.

Dr. Patricia J. Conrod

Member

Quebec

Clinical psychologist and researcher 1a. 2a. 2b. 2c 3a. 3b. 3c. 4a. 4b.
No Yes No No No Yes Yes No No

Comments

  • Received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation for research team and laboratory to conduct clinical trials on prevention of substance use disorders and related harms, as well as longitudinal cohort studies on risk factors for substance use and mental disorders.
  • Has made public statements or publicly stated a point of view through articles and published papers on the topics of drugs and mental health, including opioids and cannabis.
  • Professionally affiliated with the Canadian Cannabis and Psychosis Team, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Cannabis Research Strategy.
  • Social media: Not active

Lynda L. Levesque

Member

Alberta

Lawyer and Crown prosecutor 1a. 2a. 2b. 2c 3a. 3b. 3c. 4a. 4b.
Yes No No No No No Yes No No

Comments

  • Employed by the Government of Alberta as a crown prosecutor.
  • Has RRSPs and a pension plan, administered by fund managers, which may include investments in the cannabis industry.
  • Member of the Alberta Crown Attorneys' Association, a bargaining unit, for provincial prosecutors.
  • Member of the Fisher River Cree Nation, Manitoba, Treaty Five territory.
  • Member of the Indigenous Advisory Committee of the Law Society of Alberta.
  • Co-founding member of the Alberta Indigenous Lawyers’ forum, affiliated with the Canadian Bar Association.
  • Social media: Not active

Dr. Peter Selby

Member

Ontario

Psychiatrist, mental health and addictions 1a. 2a. 2b. 2c. 3a. 3b. 3c. 4a. 4b
No No No No Yes Yes Yes No No

Comments

  • Participated as a Grant Reviewer for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Catalyst Grant: Cannabis Research in Urgent Priority Areas End of Grant Virtual Workshop.
  • Has made public statements regarding cannabis through media contributions.
  • Member of Cancer Care Ontario's Cannabis Use and Cancer Working Group, Program in Evidence-based Care.
  • Social media: The clinic he is professionally associated with, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Nicotine Dependence Service, uses twitter (@PSQuitSmoking) to share information on treatment, research, education, knowledge mobilization, innovation in tobacco cessation, health behavior change and digital health. Personal twitter handle is @drpselby and does not routinely tweet about cannabis legislation.

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