Scott Harris is the Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Over nearly thirty years in public service, he has held leadership roles in corrections, border security, and immigration, and is recognized internationally as a champion of restorative justice. He has also chaired True North Aid, served on the board of United Way Kingston, and today leads heritage and education initiatives. Scott is married to his high school sweetheart Roxanne, is the father of four, and a proud grandfather.

Barbara serves her church faithfully in all levels. An active member of Glen Cairn United Church, she is on Council as a lay representative to the Region and at the local level undertakes numerous special projects including the planting of a mini-forest on an unused portion of the church property. Currently, she is a liaison member to search committees and has been the pastoral charge supervisor for Ottawa Chinese United Church since 2012.  In the past she was an active presbyter, serving in a variety of roles: chair of presbytery, member of the executive, long-time member of the pastoral relations committee, and a member of the Conference Executive and its committees. At the national level, she has been a member of three General Council bodies, was a commissioner to three General Councils, and co-chaired the local arrangements committee for the 2012 Ottawa General Council.

A bilingual public servant with strong organizational, administrative and procedural skills, Barbara worked with Canadian parliamentarians for 35 years in various capacities before her formal retirement in 2009.  Since then, the Senate has asked her to undertake numerous assignments, with a special focus on the orientation for new staff and various training programs. Trained as a sociologist, she was a researcher, director of legislative visits and coordinator of professional development programs for legislators and their staff.  For 15 years, she served as adviser to Canadian parliamentarians at international meetings and travelled to more than 40 countries in all parts of the world.  In the latter part of her career, she served as a procedural clerk with numerous Senate committees. In recognition of her work, she was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal in 2002 and the King’s Coronation medal in 2025.

More to follow…