2024 Program Overview

Participants will check in and receive their rooms for the week. Groups for the Parliament Session at the end of the week will also be announced.

Later, there will be an Opening Night dinner for participants. Guest Minister Christopher Skeete will speak. He is the Minister Responsible for the Laval Region and the Minister Responsible for the Fight Against Racism.

Afterwards, participants and organizers will have a Bonfire and go over the expectations for the week, including the Bishop’s Forum Guiding Values.

Our keynote speaker, the Honourable Jean Charest (Former Premier of Quebec, Member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada) will speak with participants at the beginning of the “Politics Across the Aisle” session.

Angelica Montgomery from CBC News will be moderating a discussion between politicians and participants. Our guests will include those such as Désirée McGraw (Member of the National Assembly for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce) and Mayor Christina M. Smith (Mayor of Westmount and Westmount City Councillor for District 5).

Then, a presentation on “Media Landscape”, run by Swidda Rassy (Video Journalist at CityNews Montreal and Published in Toronto Star, Toronto Life, Xtra Magazine, and more,) and Gordon Lambie (Reporter at CBC Quebec).

After a lunch break, we will have a session with Royal Orr (Communications Professional), who will discuss “What is a Parliamentary Commission?”.

Our last session of the day will be the “English Rights Workshop”, run by Alexandre Renaud (Senior Regional Engagement Agent for the Quebec and Nunavut region at the Office of the Commissioner).

Afterwards, groups will have a chance to meet and work on their Parlimentary Session projects, then dinner, then a Trivia Night run by CBC and emcee’d by Angelica Montgomery.

After breakfast, coaches will meet with organizers to discuss their groups Parlimentary presentations.

Our first session will be “Women in Leadership” with Kate Shingler (Director of Marketing and Communications at Brain Canada and has led the digital communications team at the McGill University Health Centre Foundation), Ayanna Alleyne (Senior Financial Policy Analyst at Health Canada and the Executive Chair of the Board of Directors of the Côte-des-Neiges Black Community Association), and Allison Saunders.

After a short break, Chris Adam (Head of Office of Sustainability at Dawson College and holder of the Governor General of Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal) will be hosting the “Wellness for All” session.

After lunch, Maître Fritz-Gerald Morisseau (The Principal Partner of ‘Mandates’ law firm and Canadian Lawyer, Notary Public and Canadian Legal Advisor) will host the session, “The Lawyer’s Handbook”.

Afterward, Katie Bibbs will speak with participants about “Student Success”.

From there, work groups will convene to work on their presentations, and then dinner.

After breakfast, groups will meet with organizers to have a practice presentation of their Parliament projects.

Then, the “Radical Community Building” session will be hosted by Aishah Seivwright, (Former Director of Operations at Black Mental Health Connections Montreal and Project Manager), and Tamara Medford-Williams, (Director of Black Community Initiatives at the Disabled Women’s Network of Canada and the Director of Strategic Planning at a student-led non-profit organization).

Afterwards, Adrienne Winrow will speak about the Youth 4 Youth organization, and how youth can help their communities.

After lunch, groups will have time to work on their presentations.

Guy Rex Rodgers, (Co-founder of the Quebec Drama Federation and the Quebec Writers’ Federation, and Founding Executive Director of the English-Language Arts Network), will then hold a screening of his documentary “What We Choose to Remember”, and answer questions from participants afterwards.

After dinner, the Talent Show will begin. Be sure to prepare your special skills!

After breakfast, participants will attend a session with Andrew Caddell (President of the Task Force on Linguistic Policy) about the “The Internationalist’s Perspective”. Afterwards, groups will have time for their projects or to prepare questions for our next guest.

During lunch, Minister Eric Girard (Minister of Finance and Minister responsible for the Secrétariat aux relations avec les Québécois d’expression anglaise) will host a Fireside Chat with participants.

Afterwards, Tim Duboyce (Communications Strategist) will host the “Communication Fundamentals” session.

Participants will then work on parliamentary presentations until dinner, then we will have a Bonfire Under the Stars. Star shows will be dependant on weather.

Participants must be checked out by 8 A.M. and will bring their personal items to be stored at the Gait (key and meal cards must be returned.)

After breakfast, the Presentations in front of a Parliamentary Commission will follow.

The Commissioners for the 2024 Bishop’s Forum are:

Charles Taker, Representative of the Commissioner of Official Languages for the Quebec and Nunavut Region

Chad Bean, Vice-President at RAWQ (Regional Association of West Quebecers)

Christine Labrie, Députée de Sherbrooke

Eric Maldoff, C.M., Ad. E., lawyer

Karen Macdonald, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Greater Montreal Foundation and Vice-chair of the Board of Directors of United Way Centraide Canada, Former Global News Report, News Director and Station Manager

Sonny Moroz, City Councilor Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

After our participants have presented, they will take part in a Media Scrum with journalists about their presentations.

This will mark the end of the Bishop’s Forum 2024.