David Thomas attended the University of British Columbia and the American College of Switzerland, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in International Political Studies. He graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto and was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1989. Mr. Thomas began his career at a large law firm in Vancouver. In 1994, he formed his own law firm to focus his practice on immigration and administrative law.

In private practice, Mr. Thomas was a regular guest speaker for the Canadian Bar Association, the BC Society for Continuing Legal Education and other professional organizations. His work has required extensive international travel and as such, Mr. Thomas is well experienced with numerous cultures, traditions and customs. Mr. Thomas also has a keen interest in international human rights, and has taken the opportunity to visit and research troubled regions around the world.

Mr. Thomas has served several non-profit organizations, including as President of the Canada-Korea Business Association, Chair of the West Vancouver Parks & Recreation Commission and Province President of Phi Delta Phi International Legal Honours Society.

Mr. Thomas became a part-time Member of the CHRT in 2013. He was appointed Chairperson of the Tribunal for a term of 7 years commencing on September 2, 2014.

Jennifer Khurana holds an LL.M. from the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at Lund University in Sweden. She also has a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Ottawa.

Ms. Khurana is an experienced decision-maker and lawyer with a background in social justice, human rights and international law developed in diverse multicultural and multilingual environments in Canada and abroad. She has broad leadership and adjudication experience in administrative law and judicial settings.

Ms. Khurana has served as a Vice-Chairperson at the Social Security Tribunal of Canada and also at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, and as a Member of the Ontario Social Benefits Tribunal.

Internationally, Ms. Khurana was the Director of International Humanitarian Law at the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C., and from 2003-2009 served as legal advisor in Chambers and as External Relations Advisor to the President of the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

Ms. Khurana was appointed Vice-Chairperson of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal effective April 8, 2019 for a seven year term.

GABRIEL GAUDREAULT

Mr. Gabriel Gaudreault has a law degree from the University of Sherbrooke (Quebec). He also has a Master’s degree in Common Law and Transnational Law from the same university. In the course of his academic career, Me Gabriel Gaudreault worked as a research assistant focusing on fundamental rights and freedoms and children’s rights. As such, he refined his knowledge of these fields and completed a Master 2 (year two of a Master’s degree) in Public Law and Human Rights at Université Lumière Lyon 2, in France.

Mr. Gabriel Gaudreault began his career at the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services, specifically with the Director of Youth Protection. He became a member of the Barreau du Québec (Quebec Bar) in April 2012. He then joined a private law firm and had the opportunity to represent the Directors of Youth Protection in James Bay, Inuulitsivik (Hudson Bay) and Tulattavik (Ungava Bay), working on Cree and Inuit territory. Mr. Gabriel Gaudreault regularly traveled to the Aboriginal communities in Northern Quebec in order to practice law there.

In April 2014, Mr. Gabriel Gaudreault founded the legal department of the James Bay Director of Youth Protection and was named as the head of this department in January 2016. Considering the fundamental and specific issues inherent in working with First Nations as well as the unique context of practicing in the Northern regions, Mr. Gabriel Gaudreault has had the opportunity to get involved and share his expertise with the various players in the Quebec legal system, such as the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Ministry of Justice, the Judiciary and legal services, to name just a few.

COLLEEN HARRINGTON

Colleen Harrington graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Women’s and Gender Studies, and English. She received her Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of New Brunswick, and was called to the Bars of Ontario in 2003, Nunavut in 2004, and Yukon Territory in 2008.

Ms. Harrington has significant experience in the human rights field, gained in Canada and abroad. In 2001, as an intern at the League of Kenya Women Voters in Nairobi, Kenya, Ms. Harrington created and implemented a paralegal training program for women, and was involved in a joint Canada-Kenya project on violence against women, sponsored by the Canadian Lawyers Association for International Human Rights.

Ms. Harrington worked as a poverty law lawyer with Hamilton Mountain Legal and Community Services in Hamilton, Ontario, before moving to the Canadian Arctic in 2004 to practice family and criminal law with the Legal Services Board of Nunavut. She became the acting Executive Director of the organization in 2007.

In 2008, Ms. Harrington worked as a staff lawyer with the Yukon Legal Services Society in Whitehorse, Yukon, before joining the Yukon Human Rights Commission as legal counsel in 2009.

Ms. Harrington was appointed to the Tribunal as a full-time Member for a term of four years, effective January 28, 2018.

DENA BRYAN
Nova Scotia

Ms. Bryan was appointed as a part-time member of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal in March, 2015 for a five year term.

Ms. Bryan obtained a Bachelor of Arts, psychology major, in 1983 from University of Prince Edward Island. She obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from Dalhousie Law School in 1986. Ms. Bryan has been a practicing member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society since 1987, primarily in private practice and has been self-employed practitioner since 1994. She was the past Chair of the Canada Pension Plan/Old Age Security Review Tribunal (Federal) and a member of the Assistance Review Tribunal (Nova Scotia). Ms. Bryan is also a member of the Nova Scotia Criminal Code Review Board and a member of the Council of College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia.

Ms. Bryan is certified as a Qualified Mediator (Q. Med) by the ADR Institute Canada and as a Collaborative Family Law Professional by the Nova Scotia Association of Collaborative Family Law Professionals. Ms. Bryan is a member of ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC), ADR Atlantic, NS Association of Collaborative Family Law Professionals, Family Mediation Canada, Family Mediation Nova Scotia and the Human Resources Association of Nova Scotia.

MARIE LANGLOIS
Quebec

After earning a B.A. in Business Administration with a specialization in Human Resources Management, Marie Langlois worked in human resources management, particularly in labour relations and negotiating collective agreements in Quebec’s public service, for several years. She subsequently began studying law and was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1996, and went on to work at the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal as legal counsel, where she attended hearings, conducted research, wrote draft decisions and advised the Tribunal’s judges.

In 2000, Ms. Langlois was appointed as an administrative judge at the Administrative Labour Tribunal of Quebec (the former Commission des lésions professionnelles [employment injury board]). Over the years, she has issued more than 1,000 decisions in the field of occupational health and safety, through an exclusively adjudicative process. At the same time, she worked as coordinating administrative judge for the region of Abitibi-Témiscamingue and the Outaouais. In addition, in 2015 Ms. Langlois undertook a consultation tour that focused on the duty of reasonable accommodation under the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, speaking to about a hundred of her administrative judge colleagues. She also provides mentoring and training to new judges.

Ms. Langlois left the Administrative Labour Tribunal in July 2018 to join the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal as a part-time member.

OLGA LUFTIG
Ontario

Olga Luftig graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in history and political science, and a Bachelor of Education. She received her Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Windsor.

Ms. Luftig has had wide-ranging experience in diverse areas of the law, as both a former in-house properties lawyer for a corporation, and as a private practitioner.

She was a member of the Landlord and Tenant Board of Ontario, where she adjudicated hearings, and also served as a part-time member of both the Town of Markham Municipal Election Audit Compliance Committee and the York Region Catholic and York Region District School Boards’ Joint Election Compliance Audit Committee.

In December 2012, Ms. Luftig was appointed to the Tribunal for a three-year term, and, in December 2015, was re-appointed for an additional five years.

EDWARD LUSTIG
Ontario

Edward Lustig received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto, his Bachelor of Laws degree from Queen’s University, and was called to the Bar of Ontario with First Class Honours in 1975. He has been a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Canadian Bar Association since that time.

In addition to his work with the Tribunal, Mr. Lustig has practiced law primarily in the municipal and planning law area both in government and private practice since his call to the Bar.

Mr. Lustig was initially appointed to the Tribunal in 2008 for a three-year term. He was re-appointed in 2011, and again in 2018 for a further five years.

KIRSTEN MERCER
Ontario

Kirsten Mercer attended the University of Guelph, graduating with an honours Bachelor of Arts degree in International Development Studies, before completing an honours Master of Arts degree in International Political Economy from the University of Toronto. Ms. Mercer graduated with honours from the McGill Faculty of Law in Montreal with a Bachelor of Civil Law / Bachelor of Laws degree, and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2007.

Ms. Mercer brings a broad and balanced mix of experience to her role at the Tribunal. She practiced law in the litigation group at Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg LLP in Toronto, and in 2013 she went to work in government as the Senior Justice Advisor in the Office of the Premier of Ontario. In 2015, Ms. Mercer relocated to Ottawa, where she served as chief of staff to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.

Ms. Mercer has a long history of work on human rights and justice issues, and has worked with various community organizations and boards, including a refugee resettlement agency in Toronto (board member from 2006-2012) and the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (board member from 2012-2013).

Prior to her legal career, Ms. Mercer worked in the non-profit sector in Toronto on international development, human rights and economic justice.

Ms. Mercer was appointed as a full-time Member of the Tribunal in January 2017, and re-appointed for a term of four years, effective December 30, 2017.

ALEX PANNU
British Columbia

Alex Pannu earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from the University of British Columbia, and a law degree from the University of New Brunswick. He also completed a mini-Master of Business Administration course at McGill University. He has been a member of the Law Society of British Columbia since 1991.

Mr. Pannu is a director and general counsel for a private company developing a copper-gold mine in Brazil, and a director of a publicly-traded junior mineral exploration company.

His legal experience includes practicing business and administrative law in private practice and as in-house counsel for two technology companies. He has appeared as counsel before several administrative tribunals as well as the Provincial and Federal Courts.

Mr. Pannu has served in the federal government, including two periods in the Prime Minister’s Office. He also worked as a special assistant to the federal Minister of Justice, and the Attorney General of British Columbia.

Coaching girls’ soccer, serving as a BlockWatch captain, and chairing the Board of Variance for the City of North Vancouver are some examples of his community involvement.

In June 2015, Mr. Pannu was appointed to the Tribunal for a five-year term.

ANIE PERRAULT
Québec

Ms. Anie Perrault graduated from the University of Ottawa with a law degree in 1992 and she practised at Phillips & Vineberg (now Davies, Ward, Phillips & Vineberg) from 1992 to 1995, mainly in civil and commercial litigation and labour law. She has more than 20 years of professional experience in both the public and private sectors. Her career focused on communications and public affairs in relation to genomics research and biotechnology and she held many strategic national-level positions in this field. From 2001 to 2006, she was Vice-President at Genome Canada. She is currently the Executive Director of BioQuébec and a member of various boards of directors including Loto-Québec, Génome Québec and the University of Sherbrooke. She also sat on the research ethics committee at Génome Québec. In 2013, Ms. Perrault became a "Certified Corporate Director" (CCD) at the Université Laval's Collège des administrateurs de sociétés. She was elected to the municipal council of the municipality of Bromont in 2009, a position she held for more than five years, and as Vice-President of the Réseau des élues municipales de la Montérégie-Est, which aims to encourage women in municipal politics. She has been involved in many other local community organizations. This experience has allowed her to develop an acute awareness of the issues related to culture, women and equity.

KATHRYN RAYMOND
Nova Scotia

Kathryn Raymond Q.C. obtained her law degree from the Dalhousie Schulich School of Law in 1985. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 1987 and the Nova Scotia Bar in 1990. She was in-house counsel to the Ontario Ministry of Health before becoming a senior partner with BOYNECLARKE LLP in Nova Scotia where she has practiced health, employment and administrative law and acted as neutral counsel to professional disciplinary tribunals.

Ms. Raymond is an experienced decision maker, having decided diverse human rights cases and workplace disputes as a labour relations arbitrator and mediator. She has numerous adjudicative appointments in Nova Scotia, including the Human Rights Board of Inquiry, the Minister of Labour’s List of Arbitrators, the Assessment Appeals Tribunal, as a former Vice-Chair of the Labour Board, and as an arbitrator of insurance and education related disputes.

Ms. Raymond has contributed to policy development in her roles and to statutory and regulatory development in Nova Scotia. In 2019, she co-authored the Report of the Expert Panel on Modern Federal Labour Standards. Ms. Raymond has been invited to speak at numerous conferences. She chairs the Administrative Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association (N.S.) and is a member of the Regional Advisory Committee of the Advocates’ Society, ADR Atlantic Institute and the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice. Previously she chaired the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society Task Force on the Model Code of Conduct and the Society’s Ethics and Professional Responsibility Advisory Committee and was a member of the Board of the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia.

Ms. Raymond was appointed a part-time member of the CHRT in 2019 for a five-year term.

GEORGE E. ULYATT
Manitoba

Mr. George E. Ulyatt was appointed in December of 2012 for a three-year term as a part-time member of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. He received his Bachelor of Arts in 1972 from Brandon University; his LL.B from the University of Manitoba in 1975 was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1976. He has been in private practice since his call to the Bar and has practiced major litigation in all Courts of Manitoba.

Mr. Ulyatt has been active with various administrative tribunals, being a counsel to the Mental Health Review Board of Manitoba, The College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Manitoba and other various tribunals. Mr. Ulyatt has been appointed as an Inquiry Officer under the Expropriation Act and has conducted public inquires throughout Manitoba.

As a community member and a volunteer Mr. Ulyatt has been involved in sports at the team provincial and national levels. He was President of Hockey Manitoba and on the Board of Directors of Hockey Canada for five years. He was the recipient of Hockey Canada’s "Order of Merit" for contributions to hockey in Canada.