The affairs of MS Canada are managed by MS Canada Board of Directors. More specifically, the board is mandated to make, monitor and amend national policy decisions relating to all levels of MS Canada; provide overall strategic direction and monitor strategic progress; approve the annual consolidated budget; monitor and approve financial statements; oversee the work of the president and chief executive officer; and make investment decisions at the national level.
Many members of MS Canada board have MS or have loved ones with MS. The quality of the oversight provided by the board hinges on these important perspectives and many others. MS Canada values and protects the privacy of people with MS. In this spirit, we do not require our volunteers to disclose whether they have MS or have loved ones with MS.
Officers
Susan Senecal (British Columbia), Chair
Susan Senecal is the President and Chief Executive Officer at A&W Food Services of Canada. In this role, Susan has responsibility for strategies to market and grow the business of one of the country’s top restaurant brands.
Susan joined A&W in 1992 and has held positions of increasing responsibility in Operations, Development and Marketing. She is a former Director and Past Chair of the Board of Restaurants of Canada and has also served as a Director on the Board of the British Columbia-based Coast Capital Savings. Susan holds a Bachelor of Science degree from McGill University.
Susan plays a major role in A&W’s work with MS Canada. For the past ten years, A&W and MS Canada have created a variety of fundraising events and activities leading up to Burgers to Beat MS Day in August. Since 2009 A&W has raised over $17 million toward supporting MS Canada in its mission to find a cure for MS and improve the lives of those touched by MS.
John Clifford (Ontario), Vice Chair
John is the Chief Operating Officer and a senior partner of McMillan LLP (Toronto), where he focuses his practice on M&A transactions. He has extensive experience advising a diverse group of clients on domestic and cross-border acquisitions and divestitures and the legal requirements for establishing new businesses in Canada. John also is a recognized expert on antitrust/competition matters.
John has been a dedicated volunteer of the MS Society of Canada since 2002, when he was first elected director of the Ontario and Nunavut Division. While on that Division board (from 2002 – 2014), John held numerous leadership positions including chair, vice-chair and honorary legal counsel. From 2007 to 2011, he also served as a director of the National board of the MS Society of Canada. During his tenure on the MS Society and Ontario and Nunavut Division boards, John was very active on both division and national committees. He chaired both the national and Ontario and Nunavut Division governance committees, was chair of the government relations committee, and was a member of the endMS campaign Ontario cabinet.
John re-joined the board of directors of MS Canada in June 2016. He has chaired the Governance Committee and since 2021 has been a member of the Executive Committee.
Joe Healey (Manitoba), Treasurer
Joe operates a consulting practice offering executive management support focused on growing privately held companies. Previously, he spent over 30 years with a global professional services firm focused on strategy and transactions.
Joe’s professional experience includes transactions and restructuring experience advising clients across a wide range of industries, including agriculture, transportation, aviation, oilfield services, pipeline and facility construction, manufacturing and distribution, real estate, aquaculture, forestry, food processing, technology, and retail.
Joe volunteers in the MS Canada Manitoba community and is the past chair, Manitoba division board of directors. Joe has been an active supporter and participant of MS Walk and MS Bike, serving as the MS Bike event chair in 2014. Joe serves as the Treasurer of MS Canada, and chairs both the investment committee as well as the finance, audit and risk management committee.
Marilyn Emery (Ontario), Secretary
For over three decades Marilyn Emery has been a transformational leader within Ontario’s healthcare system, producing outstanding results in various positions in both clinical and leadership roles.
Most recently, as CEO of Women’s College Hospital (2007 - 2019) Marilyn led the innovative redesign, construction and transformation of the hospital into Canada’s only academic, ambulatory hospital with an enterprise-wide focus on the health of women.
Her passion and dedication to revolutionizing healthcare and closing health gaps and inequities through innovation in clinical services, research and education resulted in unprecedented solutions for some of the most pressing issues facing our health system.
Other leadership roles held by Marilyn include CEO of Central East Local Health Integration Network, CEO of St. Joseph’s Health Centre and CEO of Markham Stouffville Hospital.
Marilyn holds a M.Sc.N. degree from University of Western Ontario.
Retired since 2019, Marilyn continues her commitment to having a positive impact on closing gaps and inequities in health and healthcare through her active participation on the MS Canada board of directors.
Directors
Michael Giuffre (Alberta)
Dr Michael Giuffre is a Pediatric Cardiologist and Clinical Professor of Cardiac Sciences and Pediatrics at the University of Calgary. Dr. Giuffre maintains a portfolio of clinical practice in pediatric cardiology, biotechnology consulting, mentorship, teaching and cardiovascular research. He also maintains an on-going involvement in the NGO, biotechnology and healthcare sectors as a board of director and as a healthcare leader and consultant.
Dr. Giuffre holds a B.Sc. in cellular and microbial biology, an MD and an MBA. His Canadian Royal College board certified specialties FRCPC, include both Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiology, and also a subspecialty in Pediatric Electrophysiology. His medical practice and university involvement span over 33 years.
Dr. Giuffre is a Past President of the Calgary and Area Physicians Association (CAPA) and a past board representative to the Calgary Health Region. He is a past nine year member of the Unicef Patron council and a six year national board member of Unicef Canada. He is a past nine year board member of the Alberta Medical Association (AMA and has served AMA as president elect, president and past president during this tenure. He has been a past board member of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and he has also been an MD-MP contact for the Canadian Medical Association.
Dr. Giuffre received a Certified and Registered Appointment by the American Academy of Cardiology, “Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Cardiology”. He has received over 17 teaching awards at the University of Calgary, and has received many honors such as “Physician of the Year”, and “Mentor of the Year”. Dr Michael Giuffre has been involved in numerous leadership and executive roles, in addition to over 40 years of board positions that include both public and private biotech and medical I.T. companies. His experience includes past and current roles as President, CEO, Board of Director, Board of Trustees, and Board of Governors.
Martin Legault (Quebec)
Martin Legault holds the position of Manager – Underwriting at Medavie Blue Cross. In that role, he has to juggle responsibilities related to risk management and profitability based on growth objectives.
Mr. Legault has a long track record with the multiple sclerosis (MS) community in Quebec. In 2004, one year after being diagnosed with MS, he became a volunteer and has participated in several fundraising events, including the Défi vélo de Montagne SP mountain bike event and the ascent of Kilimanjaro. Mr. Legault is a committed person who has also become involved as a guest speaker and contact person for several people with new MS diagnoses.
In 2018, he decided to join the Quebec Division’s Board of Directors, and in 2020, he became Chair of that Board. He would like to continue contributing to the growth of the organization and working to improve the quality of life for people affected by the disease.
Nancy L.Y. Love HBA LL.D FRCGS (Ontario)
Nancy is past Chair of the MS Scientific Research Foundation which amalgamated with the MS Society to become MS Canada. As chair she successfully spearheaded the “Acts of Greatness” campaign which raised $80 million for MS research.
Professionally Nancy is President of NLo Strategies Inc which invests in a variety of public and private opportunities. She sits on the board of Jona Capital. She holds an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University and was awarded an honourary doctorate in 2022.
Nancy has had an extensive career in the not for profit sector and has served on the boards of The Toronto Foundation, Ronald McDonald House (COCO), The Canadian Stage Company, Canada Blooms and the Garden Club of Toronto. She is a past president of the Junior League of Toronto. Nancy Is the current chair of the Jon & Nancy Love Foundation which supports MS research and education-oriented organizations.
Shashi Malik (Alberta)
Shashi Malik, KC, MAcc, CPA, CA, TEP, is a senior partner practicing tax and corporate law. He helps clients with mergers, acquisitions, and corporate reorganizations. He is the former Managing Partner for the Calgary office and was a member of the firm’s Executive Committee from January 2014 to January 2019. Other leadership roles include previously serving as a member of the By-laws and Rules Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta from 2009 to 2017. Shashi also serves as a Director of several private companies and was a Director of the MS Society (Calgary Branch).
Shashi advises on tax matters relating to private and public equity and debt financing, transactions, resource flow through financing structures, the use of partnerships and trusts as alternative business vehicles, and the structuring of cross-border investments and tax structuring and corporate advice to private multinational companies.
Shashi regularly advises on the tax effective acquisition of Canadian entities by multinational entities, involving in the appropriate circumstances hybrid entities and exchangeable shares, and on corporate restructurings involving multinational entities to improve tax efficiency and the flow of funds.
Shashi has significant experience with dispute resolution involving taxation authorities. His legal experience also covers a broad range of commercial and corporate matters, including shareholder and partnership agreements and shareholder disputes.
Prior to becoming a lawyer, Shashi practiced as a tax manager with two different national chartered professional accounting firms and for numerous years instructed for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta. Shashi speaks frequently for the Canadian Tax Foundation and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.
Jean-Sylvain Ouellette (Quebec)
Jean-Sylvain Ouellette has been a dedicated volunteer for MS Canada since 2016. He first served locally within the Montérégie Chapter; since 2019, he has been a member of the national Board of Directors and the Board’s governance committee.
He participates actively in fundraising activities. Among other things, he organizes the Défi vélo de Montagne SP mountain bike event. He is also involved in various working groups, nationally, in the Quebec Division, and in the Montérégie Chapter. He is a community representative on the review committee of MS Canada’s annual research grants and awards competition.
Mr. Ouellette has a B.A. and a Master of Business Administration (MBA). In his professional career, he held different strategic positions in several business segments of National Bank of Canada for close to 30 years.
Rheanna Robinson (British Columbia)
Dr. Rheanna Robinson is a Métis mother, scholar, and advocate for Indigenous health, disability, and education. She was raised on Wetsuwet'en territory (Smithers, BC) and has resided on the territory of the Lheidl T'enneh Nation (Prince George, BC) for the last twenty years. Rheanna completed her PhD in Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia in BC'S lower mainland, but has a deep commitment and love for Northern BC.
Diagnosed with MS in 1997 at the age of 19, Rheanna remained determined to pursue her life ambitions. Her post-secondary experiences bolstered her interest in wanting to contribute to research and knowledge transmission and translation as well as her desires to be part of important collective conversations about priorities for Indigenous people and their communities.
As an Associate Professor in the Department of First Nations Studies at UNBC, Rheanna is actively engaged in Indigenous disability-related research and looks forward to future studies about the experiences of Indigenous peoples living with MS in Northern BC and its impact on individuals and their communities.
Always committed to fostering the importance of considering Indigenous knowledges and principles of inckusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility, Rheanna looks forward to engaging further with MS Canada and broadening the perspectives and voices of Canadians impacted by Multiple Sclerosis.
Julia Stewart (New Brunswick)
Julia is a professional public librarian, holds a master’s degree in library and information science from Dalhousie University along with an undergraduate degree in English from Acadia University. With over 15 years in offering exceptional service to diverse communities, leading teams through change and building extensive community connections, Julia brings a wealth of experience to the table.
Julia was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2004 while attending university. Since then, she has been involved with numerous MS Canada initiatives. She has been a very active member of the Government Relations team, participating in at least 5 Day on Hill advocacy campaigns, a MS Walk participant for 15+ years and a strong advocate for access to treatment and the newly diagnosed. Julia is also Vice Chair of the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation’s (MSIF), People with MS Advisory Committee.
Julia lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, on the traditional unceded territory of the Wolastoqiyik, Mi’kmaq and Peskotomuhkati peoples and is the director of the busiest public library in the province. She sits on numerous community advisory boards, including the City of Fredericton’s newly formed Social Inclusion committee, and spends her free time with her partner Tony, snow shoeing in the winter, and boating in the summer on the magnificent Wolastoq River.
Cory Turner (Ontario)
Cory Turner has served as the President of Spicers Canada since 2011. With over 600 employees and 22 facilities, Spicers Canada is a leading national distributor of paper, specialty products, packaging and facility supplies and graphic solutions including pressroom and sign and display media and equipment.
Upon graduation from the University of Calgary, Cory joined the Spicers organization in 1995 and throughout his nearly 30-year career has assumed increasing responsibility in sales, operational and leadership roles both in Canada and the United States.
Diagnosed with initially, relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis in 2005, Cory has committed himself to being a visible and vocal advocate in the battle against Multiple Sclerosis. Since 2015, he has served as a Board member on Canada’s Multiple Sclerosis Scientific Research Foundation and most recently as a MS Canada Governor. He has also been a long-standing public representative on the Medical Advisory Committee.
Since 2019 he has been a member of the International Progressive MS alliance contributing within the Persons Affected by MS Engagement Team including notably, the development of their recently announced multi-year strategic plan.
He is most proud of his role within a Cross Canada bike ride in support of MS Canada in 2019 that was undertaken by three friends and raised nearly $200,000 in support of the “Acts of Greatness” campaign.
Cory also serves as a Board Member of the National Paper Trade Association, a Trustee of Canada Print Scholarships and in advisory role across multiple industry related organizations.
Tracey Wahba (Saskatchewan)
Tracey graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor’s of Nursing in 2003. She has practiced throughout Western Canada in both rural and urban settings as well as practiced nursing overseas in Thailand and Haiti. With a background in Emergency Nursing, Tracey presently works as a Registered Nurse in the Women’s Health Department in Saskatoon.
Tracey became involved with MS Canada not long after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2011. She formed a cycling team, The Remyelinators in 2012 for a provincial MS Bike Event. Since that time her team has raised over $194,500 for MS Bike. As a top fundraiser, Tracey has been fortunate to attend various MS Bike events across the United States.
Tracey lives in Saskatoon, SK with her husband and their three young children. Her positive example of a healthy lifestyle has enabled her to mentor several other young women with MS along their journey. Tracey spends her spare time volunteering in the community and being an advocate for living a healthy life with MS.