Friday, April 17, 2026
Ayesha Kumararatne, Kumararatne Law, Ottawa
Camille Boireau, Galileo Partners, Montréal
John Norquay, Refugee Law Office, Toronto
Maureen Silcoff, Silcoff Shacter/Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Toronto
David Fraser, CBC
Bruce Allen, Allen & Hodgman, Beachwood, Ohio
Sylvie Okros, Community Legal Services of Ottawa
Adrienne Smith, Smith Immigration Law/University of Toronto Faculty of Law, Toronto
Alexandra Callinan, MGL Lawyers, Ottawa
Camille Boireau, Galileo Partners, Montréal
John Norquay, Refugee Law Office, Toronto
Maureen Silcoff, Silcoff Shacter/Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Toronto
David Fraser, CBC
Bruce Allen, Allen & Hodgman, Beachwood, Ohio
Sylvie Okros, Community Legal Services of Ottawa
Adrienne Smith, Smith Immigration Law/University of Toronto Faculty of Law, Toronto
Alexandra Callinan, MGL Lawyers, Ottawa
Biographies
| speaker_bios_-_oilc_2026_to_review.pdf |
Practice Strategies for Dealing with Long Delays
Ayesha Kumararatne
Kumararatne Law
Ayesha is the founder and principal lawyer at Kumararatne Law. Ayesha specializes in refugee, admissibility, and enforcement-related immigration issues. She frequently represents clients on complex refugee and appellate cases and provides expert legal opinions for use in Canadian criminal courts.
Camille Boireau
Galileo Partners
Camille Boireau is a senior lawyer in business immigration at Galileo Partners in Montreal. A member of the Barreau du Québec since 2019, she advises Canadian and international employers on all aspects of immigration to Canada and Quebec; including work permits, Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs), and international workforce mobility strategies. She works with a diverse range of clients; including companies in the construction and civil engineering sector as well as the entertainment and sports industries. Known for her dedication, responsiveness, and commitment to client service, Camille builds lasting relationships of trust with the employers she represents.
Professional Responsibility in the Face of Long Delays
John Norquay
Refugee Law Office
John is a refugee lawyer, currently working as senior advisor for immigration and refugee law services at Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) where he provides strategic and operational advice regarding LAO’s services to refugee clients. Prior to this role he practiced immigration and refugee law for 12 years in a variety of settings, including at the HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO), in sole practice, at a small firm, and most recently at LAO’s Refugee Law Office. While in practice, he appeared regularly at the Federal Court and all divisions of the Immigration and Refugee Board and represented clients in status applications related to family reunification and humanitarian and compassionate considerations. He has presented extensively at continuing legal education events for lawyers and community events for refugee claimants and migrants.
Ottawa Immigration Law Conference 2026 - Conference Speaker Bios
Non-Legal Advocacy: Using the Media and Other Strategies
Maureen Silcoff
Maureen Silcoff has practised immigration and refugee law exclusively since 1988. In addition to private practice, she served for five years as a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, adjudicating refugee claims.
Maureen is at the forefront of high-impact litigation addressing systemic issues in Canada’s immigration and refugee regime. Alongside her public interest practice, Maureen represents individuals in complex immigration and refugee applications.
Maureen teaches Public Interest Litigation and The Business of Lawyering at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law. She was appointed Lawyer-in-Residence for the 2025–2027 academic years. In December 2025, she received the Dean’s Teaching Award for outstanding commitment to student mentorship.
Maureen offers commentary to the media on significant developments in immigration and refugee law and presents at conferences. She is a past president of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers and continues to serve on its Litigation Committee.
David Fraser
CBC News
David Fraser is an Ottawa-based journalist with more than 15-years of experience covering Canadian politics, courts and public policy. He currently reports for CBC News, covering major stories. Fraser has reported extensively on high-profile court cases, policing and civil liberties, as well as federal decision-making. Before joining CBC, he covered national affairs on Parliament Hill for the Canadian Press and federal policy for Glacier FarmMedia. He began his career in Saskatchewan, where he reported on provincial politics and courts for the Regina Leader-Post. Fraser also taught journalism at the University of Regina.
Recent Changes to the Citizenship Act
Bruce Allen
Allen & Hodgman
Bruce Allen is a graduate of Harvard University and Boston University Law School. He is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States. He is a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society, and is also authorized to practice in Ohio, Massachusetts, and numerous federal courts in the United States. Bruce is a partner in the law firm of Allen & Hodgman, with offices in both Nova Scotia and Ohio. Bruce has practiced both U.S. and Canadian immigration and citizenship law for 25 years. Since 2016 Bruce's practice has had a strong focus on Canadian citizenship by descent. His firm has successfully filed approximately 1,000 such applications.
Update on Sponsorships
Sylvie Okros
Community Legal Services of Ottawa
Sylvie Okros has worked as a lawyer with Community Legal Services of Ottawa for 10 years. She provides legal advice and services in the areas of immigration and refugee law as well as housing law. In addition to her legal work, Sylvie provides presentations to front line workers, community partners and the public on immigration and refugee law.
Sylvie was on the National Newcomer Navigation Network’s Community of Practice Steering Committee and serves on the Canadian Council for Refugees’ Ancillary Legal Support Group. Throughout her career Sylvie has been involved in various initiatives to defend the rights of immigrants and refugees.
Adrienne Smith
Smith Immigration Law | University of Toronto Faculty of Law
Adrienne Smith is the founder and principal lawyer of Smith Immigration Law, a Toronto-based law firm specializing in LGBTQ2+ immigration, Federal Court litigation, and inadmissibility issues. Adrienne has been practicing exclusively in immigration and refugee law for over a decade.
Adrienne has appeared at the Supreme Court of Canada on behalf of EGALE and Rainbow Railroad, and as an expert witness before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. She currently teaches Immigration Law at the University of Toronto, and Family Class Immigration in the immigration graduate diploma program at Queen’s Law. In 2025, Emond Publishing released the second edition of Adrienne’s book titled “Family Class Sponsorship in Canadian Immigration Law”. Adrienne is a regular speaker at immigration law conferences.
Prior to practicing as an immigration lawyer, Adrienne worked as a strategic policy advisor at IRCC’s National Headquarters in Ottawa.
What’s Happening with LMIAs?
Alexandra Callinan
MGL Lawyers
Alexandra Callinan is a Partner & Lawyer at Avocats MGL Lawyers in Ottawa, Ontario. Alexandra has over a decade of experience in the field of Canadian immigration, including more than six years of private practice exclusively focused on Canadian immigration law.
Alexandra specializes in providing high-quality corporate and economic immigration services to individuals, employers and entrepreneurs. She regularly advises clients on work permits, study permits, Labour Market Impact Assessments, employer compliance requirements under the International Mobility Program, permanent residency, and citizenship applications.
Before transitioning to private practice, Alexandra worked at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada as an Officer, where she rendered decisions on a wide range of immigration applications. Outside of her practice, Alexandra actively contributes to the legal community through teaching, mentorship and volunteer work.
Ayesha Kumararatne
Kumararatne Law
Ayesha is the founder and principal lawyer at Kumararatne Law. Ayesha specializes in refugee, admissibility, and enforcement-related immigration issues. She frequently represents clients on complex refugee and appellate cases and provides expert legal opinions for use in Canadian criminal courts.
Camille Boireau
Galileo Partners
Camille Boireau is a senior lawyer in business immigration at Galileo Partners in Montreal. A member of the Barreau du Québec since 2019, she advises Canadian and international employers on all aspects of immigration to Canada and Quebec; including work permits, Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs), and international workforce mobility strategies. She works with a diverse range of clients; including companies in the construction and civil engineering sector as well as the entertainment and sports industries. Known for her dedication, responsiveness, and commitment to client service, Camille builds lasting relationships of trust with the employers she represents.
Professional Responsibility in the Face of Long Delays
John Norquay
Refugee Law Office
John is a refugee lawyer, currently working as senior advisor for immigration and refugee law services at Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) where he provides strategic and operational advice regarding LAO’s services to refugee clients. Prior to this role he practiced immigration and refugee law for 12 years in a variety of settings, including at the HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO), in sole practice, at a small firm, and most recently at LAO’s Refugee Law Office. While in practice, he appeared regularly at the Federal Court and all divisions of the Immigration and Refugee Board and represented clients in status applications related to family reunification and humanitarian and compassionate considerations. He has presented extensively at continuing legal education events for lawyers and community events for refugee claimants and migrants.
Ottawa Immigration Law Conference 2026 - Conference Speaker Bios
Non-Legal Advocacy: Using the Media and Other Strategies
Maureen Silcoff
Maureen Silcoff has practised immigration and refugee law exclusively since 1988. In addition to private practice, she served for five years as a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, adjudicating refugee claims.
Maureen is at the forefront of high-impact litigation addressing systemic issues in Canada’s immigration and refugee regime. Alongside her public interest practice, Maureen represents individuals in complex immigration and refugee applications.
Maureen teaches Public Interest Litigation and The Business of Lawyering at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law. She was appointed Lawyer-in-Residence for the 2025–2027 academic years. In December 2025, she received the Dean’s Teaching Award for outstanding commitment to student mentorship.
Maureen offers commentary to the media on significant developments in immigration and refugee law and presents at conferences. She is a past president of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers and continues to serve on its Litigation Committee.
David Fraser
CBC News
David Fraser is an Ottawa-based journalist with more than 15-years of experience covering Canadian politics, courts and public policy. He currently reports for CBC News, covering major stories. Fraser has reported extensively on high-profile court cases, policing and civil liberties, as well as federal decision-making. Before joining CBC, he covered national affairs on Parliament Hill for the Canadian Press and federal policy for Glacier FarmMedia. He began his career in Saskatchewan, where he reported on provincial politics and courts for the Regina Leader-Post. Fraser also taught journalism at the University of Regina.
Recent Changes to the Citizenship Act
Bruce Allen
Allen & Hodgman
Bruce Allen is a graduate of Harvard University and Boston University Law School. He is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States. He is a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society, and is also authorized to practice in Ohio, Massachusetts, and numerous federal courts in the United States. Bruce is a partner in the law firm of Allen & Hodgman, with offices in both Nova Scotia and Ohio. Bruce has practiced both U.S. and Canadian immigration and citizenship law for 25 years. Since 2016 Bruce's practice has had a strong focus on Canadian citizenship by descent. His firm has successfully filed approximately 1,000 such applications.
Update on Sponsorships
Sylvie Okros
Community Legal Services of Ottawa
Sylvie Okros has worked as a lawyer with Community Legal Services of Ottawa for 10 years. She provides legal advice and services in the areas of immigration and refugee law as well as housing law. In addition to her legal work, Sylvie provides presentations to front line workers, community partners and the public on immigration and refugee law.
Sylvie was on the National Newcomer Navigation Network’s Community of Practice Steering Committee and serves on the Canadian Council for Refugees’ Ancillary Legal Support Group. Throughout her career Sylvie has been involved in various initiatives to defend the rights of immigrants and refugees.
Adrienne Smith
Smith Immigration Law | University of Toronto Faculty of Law
Adrienne Smith is the founder and principal lawyer of Smith Immigration Law, a Toronto-based law firm specializing in LGBTQ2+ immigration, Federal Court litigation, and inadmissibility issues. Adrienne has been practicing exclusively in immigration and refugee law for over a decade.
Adrienne has appeared at the Supreme Court of Canada on behalf of EGALE and Rainbow Railroad, and as an expert witness before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. She currently teaches Immigration Law at the University of Toronto, and Family Class Immigration in the immigration graduate diploma program at Queen’s Law. In 2025, Emond Publishing released the second edition of Adrienne’s book titled “Family Class Sponsorship in Canadian Immigration Law”. Adrienne is a regular speaker at immigration law conferences.
Prior to practicing as an immigration lawyer, Adrienne worked as a strategic policy advisor at IRCC’s National Headquarters in Ottawa.
What’s Happening with LMIAs?
Alexandra Callinan
MGL Lawyers
Alexandra Callinan is a Partner & Lawyer at Avocats MGL Lawyers in Ottawa, Ontario. Alexandra has over a decade of experience in the field of Canadian immigration, including more than six years of private practice exclusively focused on Canadian immigration law.
Alexandra specializes in providing high-quality corporate and economic immigration services to individuals, employers and entrepreneurs. She regularly advises clients on work permits, study permits, Labour Market Impact Assessments, employer compliance requirements under the International Mobility Program, permanent residency, and citizenship applications.
Before transitioning to private practice, Alexandra worked at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada as an Officer, where she rendered decisions on a wide range of immigration applications. Outside of her practice, Alexandra actively contributes to the legal community through teaching, mentorship and volunteer work.