The Parliamentary Centre welcomes Kerry Buck, Anne McGrath and Marci Surkes to the Board

The Parliamentary Centre welcomes Kerry Buck, Anne McGrath and Marci Surkes to the Board

The Parliamentary Centre congratulates Kerry Buck, Anne McGrath and Marci Surkes on joining our Board of Directors. Together, their combined experience and expertise will advance our role as Canada’s leader for democracy.

The Board members bring diverse lived and professional experience to our organization, including leadership in a variety of areas of government, political parties, and diplomacy. The members have extensive international and domestic experience and will bring important knowledge and perspective to the ongoing development of democracy assistance around the world.

  • Kerry Buck was most recently Assistant Secretary to the Treasury Board, Economic Sector, from 2018 to 2021. Prior to that, she was Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to NATO from 2015 to 2018.  Ms. Buck is a career diplomat who was Political Director and Assistant Deputy Minister for International Security and Political Affairs, and served in Assistant Deputy Minister positions on Afghanistan, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Director General for the Middle East and Maghreb. Read more.
  • Anne McGrath is the National Director of the New Democratic Party. Anne has been actively involved in all levels of the NDP, federally and provincially.  She has been Chief of Staff to several NDP Leaders including federal NDP Leader Jack Layton and was a key strategist in all his campaigns. She has been a frequent commentator in the national media and has been identified as one of the 100 most influential people in government and politics in Ottawa. Read more.
  • Marci Surkes spent 15 years serving as a political aide on Parliament Hill, most recently in senior roles advising the Prime Minister and members of the federal cabinet. As Executive Director of Policy and Cabinet Affairs in the Prime Minister’s Office from 2019-2022, Ms. Surkes led a team that provided strategic advice to the Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, on policy spanning the entirety of federal jurisdiction. She collaborated closely with officials in the Privy Council Office to implement the government’s mandate through setting the agenda for Cabinet. Ms. Surkes was centrally involved in the federal government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the development of the new national system for Early Learning and Child Care, and the transition for the return to government following the 2021 general election. She acted as Chief of Staff in the PMO during the writ period. Read more.

The Parliamentary Centre would also like to thank the outgoing members of the board for their dedication and guidance: Fen Hampson, David Goldfield and Hélène Laverdière. During the March 2022 Annual General Meeting, the Board recognized the service of all three members. Fen Hampson, the Centre’s longest serving Board Member, was awarded the role of Director Emeritus for his long-standing commitment to the Centre.

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