Vice-President

Mark Khoury is a tech entrepreneur, nonprofit founder and former Canadian Forces officer. His 25-year career spans management, strategic planning and business development, across tech startups, nonprofit organizations and socio-political sectors. A bilingual and bicultural Quebecer, he is feverishly positive on Canada in all its aspects, after many travels and exposures to other cultures.

Treasurer

Blair brings over 25 years of broad experience in customer relationship and account managment serving the needs of leading companies across North America in the accessibility and utility space. Blair also serves as a Board member for a long term care facility.

Blair has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University and a Diploma in Applied Information Technology and enjoys golf, curling, political bantering and spending lots of time with his family.

Executive Director

Julie Smith was born in Nova Scotia and holds a BBA, an MA in immigration and settlement studies, and a law degree. She worked on refugee programs in Egypt, monitored five elections in Ukraine, and one in Bulgaria. She has represented Canada at the OSCE, G7 and OECD while working for the New Brunswick, Ontario and federal government on files including immigration, counter terrorism, equalities, and literacy. Ms. Smith held roles in provincial and federal election campaigns including candidate vetting, leaders’ debate prep, and campaign volunteer. She co-wrote the papers that guided New Brunswick’s government response to COVID-19 and the refugee crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In 2018 she was named a BMW Foundation Global Responsible Leader. Ms. Smith lives in New Brunswick where she manages a not-for-profit.

Quebec

Denis brings a wealth of political experience to our new party. He was elected as an NDP Member of Parliament for Louis-Hébert in the Orange Wave of 2011. He had been involved in the party long before that as a candidate and a member of the riding’s Electoral District Association. After his time in Ottawa, he became the founding president of the provincial wing of the NDP in Quebec in 2017, where he once again presented himself as a candidate at the first by-election before the subsequent provincial election. Recognizing principles and policies are more important than party colour, he switched his affiliation to the Green Party of Canada in 2018 and served as candidate, president of his riding association and as an interim member on the party’s provincial executive. His active participation in electoral politics is driven by his search to find consistency between political speech and political action that lead to concrete results for Canadians. He has a particular interest in protection of our environment. He sees the Canadian Future Party as a viable vehicle for those goals. A retired public servant, Denis graduated from Laval University with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and journalism.

New Brunswick

Over more than 45 years, Nancy’s community and work experience incorporated a collaborative approach with partners in the non-profit, business and government environments. She has contributed to health and social policy and experienced success as a senior executive, consultant, planner, health professional, and volunteer. Nancy is former Chief of Staff to then Premier David Alward and was Deputy Minister for Planning and Priorities, Intergovernmental Affairs and Women’s Equality. She has served as a riding president, sat on the PC Provincial Council and was the candidate of record on three occasions.

Nova Scotia

David served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 27 years and was medically released in 2010. He completed multiple overseas tours, including Cyprus, Bosnia, Kosovo, SW Asia, and Afghanistan. David holds a BA in political studies (U of Manitoba) and an MA in Human Security and Peacebuilding (Royal Roads University). David recently retired from the Veterans Ombudsman’s Advisory Council. David also assisted in the passing of accessibility legislation in Nova Scotia.

Saskatchewan

Dr. Cody Sharpe holds a PhD in public policy from the University of Saskatchewan and currently lives in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Originally from Baynes Lake, BC, Cody has lived and worked in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and the Yukon as a policy advisor and program specialist to various public government ministries, non-profit corporations, and Indigenous government agencies. Currently, Cody and his wife Vanessa run their own consultancy and serve non-profit clients across Saskatchewan in the areas of board governance, program evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning. Cody also serves on various boards and committees related to public education and community development, including the Moose Jaw Public Library, Palliser Regional Library, Moose Jaw Kinsmen, and Regina Autism Resource Centre.

British Columbia

Ken is currently working for various organizations in the post-secondary education sector. He has over 20 years in various senior management positions with the BC Government and the Government of Canada. His focus was in the areas of advanced education, research and innovation, Indigenous relations and reconciliation, and intergovernmental relations. Ken has a Master of Public Administration, a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts, all from the University of Alberta. Ken lives in Esquimalt with his wife (a provincial public servant) and his cat (no fixed role) and enjoys running, hiking, cycling and travelling.

Newfoundland & Labrador

Roger is an experienced and successful banking business leader with domestic and international exposure to energy, technology, infrastructure, emerging markets, and government relationships. Roger has held increasingly senior, executive and leadership roles in capital markets, risk management, corporate and commercial banking, and as executive assistant to the CEO and Chairman of RBC. These roles have spanned Canada (Calgary, Vancouver, & Toronto) and Europe (Frankfurt and London). Roger holds a Master of Public Policy at the University of Calgary and has been active in campaigning for various provincial political parties in Alberta and BC, and has served on the Calgary West riding board.

Communications Director

Chair of Fundraising