Immigration and Refugee Board Review Steering Committee Terms of Reference

Mandate

The Review Steering Committee (Committee) is an advisory body which provides strategic advice and support to the third-party expert and will ensure that the scope of the review aligns with the Terms of Reference.

Objectives

The key objectives of the Committee are:

1. To provide support and advice to the third-party expert as needed.
2. Monitoring the third-party expert’s progress to ensure the Review remains on time and in scope.
3. Reviewing the third-party expert’s Interim and Final Reports against the Terms of Reference prior to being shared with the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Treasury Board.

Committee membership

Co-Chairs

• David Manicom – Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• Ross Pattee – Executive Director, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Members (Standing)

• Shereen Benzvy Miller – Deputy Chairperson, Refugee Protection Division, Immigration and Refugee Board
• Paul Aterman – Deputy Chairperson, Refugee Appeal Division, Immigration and Refugee Board
• Barbara Wyant – Chief Financial Officer, Immigration and Refugee Board
• Dawn Edlund – Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations Sector, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• Daniel Mills – Chief Financial Officer, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• Michelle Kovacevic – Assistant Deputy Minister, Federal Provincial Relations and Social Policy, Finance Canada 
• To be determined – Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Social Development Policy, Privy Council Office
• Allen Sutherland – Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
• Michael Vandergrift – Assistant Secretary, International Affairs, Security and Justice, Treasury Board Secretariat
• Brian Pagan – Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management, Treasury Board Secretariat
• Peter Hill – Associate Vice President, Programs Branch, Canada Border Services Agency

Members (Ad-hoc)

The Co-Chairs may agree to invite any additional federal government subject matter experts or senior executives, including Deputy Heads, to participate in meetings as required.

Secretariat

A small secretariat, led by an Executive, will be established to support the independent review and provide, among other duties, administrative functions for the Committee.

Roles and responsibilities

Co-Chairs

The main responsibility of the Co-Chairs is to manage the meetings to ensure that the objectives are met.

Members

Members will make best efforts to attend each meeting of the Committee. Where a Member cannot attend a meeting, the Member will identify an appropriate proxy who is authorized to act on their behalf. Members will submit the names of agreed alternates to the Co-Chairs and the Secretariat.

Secretariat

The Secretariat manages the agenda, tracks membership and participation, and provides other logistical support, including the distribution of meeting documentation.

Third-party expert

Shall attend meetings, present documentation and findings, and respond to questions from the Committee.

Meetings

The Committee will meet according to a schedule to be proposed by the Secretariat. In setting its schedule, the Committee shall meet at the request of the third-party expert or the Co-Chairs until the final report has been submitted by the Minister of IRCC to Treasury Board by June 1, 2018 at the latest.

An agenda will be maintained by the Secretariat. Items will be added to the agenda by request of members and at the discretion of the Co-Chairs.

The chairing of committee meetings will alternate between the IRB and IRCC.

The third-party expert and a representative from each of the three immigration portfolio partners (IRB, IRCC and CBSA) and the three central agencies (TBS, PCO, Finance Canada) must be in attendance for quorum to be met.