The ‘Business of Education’ Speaker Profiles

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Hon. Pierre S. Pettigrew, PC, Chair, Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

o Presenting: Welcome

For more about Hon. Pettigrew, please see the CIEC Executive Team.

Vivek Savkur, CIEC’s President, Canada (West) & Board Member-Canada India Business Council (C-IBC)

o Presenting: Opening

For more about Mr. Savkur, please see the CIEC Executive Team.

Hon. Deepak Obhrai, PC, M.P Calgary East & Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Human Rights

o Presenting: Keynote Address

Hon. Deepak Obhrai was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Calgary East in 1997. In addition to his current roles, Deepak was appointed to Her Majesty’s Privy Council for Canada in 2013 in recognition of his many years of public service as a Member of Parliament and in promoting the Government’s foreign affairs agenda internationally.

Hon. Minister Amrik Virk, BC Ministry of Advanced Education
Hon. Minister Peter Fassbender, Minister of Education

o Inaugural Address

Minister Virk has represented the district of Surrey-Tynehead in British Columbia as a member of the Liberal Party in the provincial Legislative Assembly since 2013. While born in India, he has lived in Canada since the age of 5 and been in Surrey with his family since 2002. Minister Virk has a B.A. in Economics with a major in History from Simon Fraser University. He spent years as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and served on the board of directors for the Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation & Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Minister Fassbender was elected to represent the Surrey-Fleetwood riding in 2013 after a successful career in municipal politics from 2002-2011. This time was spent as a member of the Langley City Council and as mayor; a position he was elected to hold three times (2005, 2008, 2011). He has also served as a school trustee as well as a variety of committees on civic, provincial and national levels. Minister Fassbender was appointed Minister of Education in June 2013.

President’s Panel Discussion on Challenges & Opportunities in the Canada-India education corridor by

o Prof. Andrew Petter, President, Simon Fraser University (SFU)

Andrew Petter Q.C. is President and Vice Chancellor of Simon Fraser University and Professor in the School of Public Policy. Prior to joining SFU in 2010, he was Professor in the Faculty of Law of the University of Victoria where he served as Dean from 2001 to 2008. He previously taught at Osgoode Hall Law School and practiced law with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice.

From 1991 to 2001, Professor Petter served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia and held numerous cabinet portfolios, including Advanced Education and Attorney General.

Since becoming President, Professor Petter has led the development of an exciting new Vision for SFU as “The Engaged University” defined by its “dynamic integration of innovative education, cutting edge research, and far-reaching community engagement.”

o Dr. Lane Trotter, President & CEO, Langara College

Dr. Trotter has more than 22 years of experience in higher education serving in different roles at Fanshawe College, BCIT, St. Clair College and BC’s Ministries of Advanced Education/Education, Skills and Training. Raised in Smithers, BC, Dr. Trotter earned his Doctorate of Education from Simon Fraser University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Victoria. He has also served on a variety of local, provincial and national boards.

o Dr. Alan Davis, President, Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU)

Dr. Davis was born in Reading, England and earned his B.Sc with honours from University College London in 1972. He later received his MSc and PhD degrees from Simon Fraser University. Since then he has served in positions for the (then) Fraser Valley College, the Open Learning Agency, Athabasca University, the Alberta Private College Accreditation Board, Niagara College, Vancouver Community College and the Board of the Council for Adult and Experimental Learning among others.

o Dr. Robert Kuhn, President & Chancellor, Trinity Western University

A graduate of the University of British Columbia School of Law and lawyer for 33 years, Dr. Kuhn is no stranger to leadership. He served as Student-Body President from 1971-72 and led TWU’s legal to the Supreme Court of Canada in 2001. In 2012, he served as President of the TWU Alumni Association and served as director and counsel for the Canadian Homebuilders’ Association of BC. Dr. Kuhn has also served as a member or chairman on the boards of numerous charities. Additionally, he has lectured throughout Canada on a range of legal topics for numerous groups and the Provincial Court Judges of British Columbia.

Devinder Shory, M.P Calgary Northeast

o Ottawa’s policy & BC’s position in Canada’s International Education

Devinder Shory was born in Barnala, India and earned his B.A. and LL.B degrees from Punjabi University, Patiala, India before moving to Canada. As a believer in the power of entrepreneurship, Devinder set up his own law practice in Calgary after being called to the bar in 1998. As he had personally experienced many of the hurdles faced by new Canadians, Devinder made it a habit in his law practice to point students and foreign-qualified individuals in the right direction. In 2008, Calgarians elected Devinder to the House of Commons as their representative and again in 2011.