Staff

Bruce Campbell, Executive Director

Bruce Campbell has been the Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives since 1994. Beyond his administrative responsibilities, he is the author of many articles and reports on national and international public policy issues, and is a frequent media commentator and conference presenter. He has appeared regularly as a witness before Commons and Senate committees, and before the U.S. Congress.

For many years Bruce coordinated the Centre’s flagship Alternative Federal Budget. He is co-author or editor of five books including: Straight Through the Heart: How the Liberals Abandoned the Just Society (with Maude Barlow); Living with Uncle: Canada-US Relations in an Age of Empire (with Ed Finn; and, Medicare: Facts, Myths, Problems & Promise (with Greg Marchildon).

Before coming to the CCPA Bruce’s career path took a number of twists and turns: as a researcher with the North South Institute; as a trade policy analyst and legislative assistant with the federal NDP caucus; and as a senior economist with the Canadian Labour Congress. He holds an MA from the Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University.

Mélanie Allison, Bookkeeper

Melanie has been with the CCPA National Office since 2002 after having worked for 12 years as a front line caregiver with the Children’s Aid Society and lifeskills coach with adults dealing with mental health issues. It’s with great pleasure that she now uses her skills in accounting at the CCPA.  Being part of an organization that works to strengthen the social net of Canadians keeps her connected to the values and goals perpetuated through her years of work within the social services.

Outside of the office she can often be found on a tennis court or in a yoga studio, where she’s currently completing her hatha yoga teacher training.

Anskia Gingras, Membership Officer

Anskia joined the National Office staff full-time in 1999, as an administrative assistant, when the CCPA had 4,000 members.  Over that period, her work has helped contribute to seeing our membership grow to over 12,000 members.

She now oversees the development of our membership database, and enjoys working alongside Jason and Jennie in the membership department.

Anskia, raised on a dairy farm south of Ottawa, and still resides in the country with her husband and son.  She enjoys a good coffee and always has a book at hand.

Ed Finn, Senior Editor

Ed is the editor of The CCPA Monitor, the CCPA's monthly journal. Formerly, as a journalist, he worked at The Montreal Gazette and for 14 years wrote a column on labour relations for The Toronto Star. He also served for three decades as a communications officer for several labour organizations, including the Canadian Labour Congress and the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

Kerri-Anne Finn, Senior Communications Officer

Kerri-Anne has a BA in Communications from the University of Ottawa and has performed a wide variety of duties at the CCPA since she joined the staff as a student. Since 2000 she has overseen the CCPA’s extensive communications activities, which include coordinating print and web production of publications, planning and implementing media and distribution strategies, and ensuring CCPA materials are as accessible and user-friendly as possible. She also works with Emily Turk on web strategy.

Kerri lives with her husband and is a foodie, music geek, avid reader, and sometimes photographer.

Trish Hennessy, Director, Inequality Project

Trish Hennessy is a former journalist who, as director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives' income inequality project, specializes in the growing gap between the rich and the rest of us. Trish has a B.A. in Sociology from Queen's University, a B.S.W. from Carleton University, and a Master's degree in Sociology from OISE/University of Toronto.

David Macdonald, Senior Economist

David joined the CCPA as its Senior Ottawa Economist in 2011, although he has been a long time contributor as a research associate.  Since 2008, he has coordinated the Alternative Federal Budget, which takes a fresh look at the federal budget from a progressive perspective. David has also written on a variety of topics, from Canada's real estate bubble to Aboriginal income inequality, and he is a regular media commentator on national policy issues.   

David received his BA from the University of Windsor and his MA from the University of Guelph, both in Philosophy.

Jason Moores, Administrative Assistant

Jason is often the first voice or line of communication for the National Office manning the reception and general email box. He also works closely in the membership department, and provides support to staff and CCPA members.

Jason aims to keep fit walking his tireless Standard Schnauzer or playing tennis on one of the courts around the city.

Jennie Royer, Administrative Assistant

Jennie provides support to staff, CCPA members and also manages the CCPA's members who contribute on a monthly basis. Jennie is an ongoing student presently working on an accounting certificate to better assist Mélanie in the finances of all CCPA offices.

In her spare time you will find Jennie playing tennis, cycling, gardening or trying to improve her breaking technique on her roller-blades.

Tim Scarth, Senior Graphic Designer

Tim Scarth is the CCPA's Senior Graphic Designer and is responsible for the design and layout of the printed materials produced by the CCPA's National Office. Tim has a degree in English and a diploma in Art History. Outside of work he enjoys reading, photography, and dogs.

Erika Shaker, Senior Research Fellow (Education)

Erika has been at the CCPA since early 1997 as director of the Education Project, which was originally established to monitor corporate involvement in public education, but with the help of a dedicated circle of research associates broadened its focus to include books, reports and articles on standardized testing, social justice in schools, education finance, technology and privacy, and education restructuring. The Project has produced a series of reports and, since 2000, the quarterly magazine "Our Schools / Our Selves" (founded in 1988).

Erika has a BA in History from McGill University and an MA in English Literature (with a focus on critical literary analysis) from the University of Guelph.
Prior to coming to the CCPA, she worked in Washington DC researching the corporatization of childhood, and was one of the founders of UNPLUG (which became the now-defunct Center for Commercial-Free Public Education).

Scott Sinclair, Senior Research Fellow (Trade and Investment)

Scott directs the CCPA’s Trade and Investment Research Project. This project, which brings together researchers from twenty Canadian NGOs and trade unions, has gained national and international recognition for its studies critical of corporate-driven globalization.

Scott has written numerous books, chapters, and monographs including Facing the Facts: A Guide to the GATS Debate (with Jim Grieshaber-Otto); Atlantica: Myths and Reality (with John Jacobs) and Putting Health First: Canadian Health Care Reform, Trade Treaties and Foreign Policy (with Matthew Sanger), a background study prepared for the Romanow Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada.  Prior to joining CCPA, Scott was a senior trade policy advisor with the Government of British Columbia. 

Scott has a BA in political science from UPEI and an MA in political science from York University. He lives with his family in rural Prince Edward Island and in his spare time enjoys walking and bird watching.

Diane Touchette, Director of Operations

Diane joined the CCPA in November 1987. As its Director of Operations, Diane serves as the senior financial officer for the organization, developing complex budgeting, accounting techniques and auditing procedures. She also administers staff benefits, develops job descriptions and staff structures. She organizes major events and conferences, Board and Executive meetings and, under the direction of the Executive Director, follows and implements Board policies and priorities. 

Diane has been involved in social change work for the past 28 years, starting her volunteer work at a very young age at the grass roots level and then at the provincial and national levels.   

She has served on various boards, namely on the St-Vincent de Paul de Gatineau, the Centre d’action bénévole de Gatineau, and the Canadian Research Institute on the Advancement of Women, in Ottawa. Currently, she serves as Treasurer on the Board of rabble.ca, an on-line magazine, comprised of progressive journalists, writers, artists and activists across the country.

Diane lives in Wakefield, Québec.  Her passions include nature and photography. 

Emily Turk, Online Communications Officer

Emily is responsible for the CCPA's website and various online platforms. She works closely with the communications team to nurture CCPA's online presence and to develop engaging online tools and multimedia content. Emily also sits on the advisory committee for Next Up (Ottawa), CCPA's youth leadership program. Previously, she worked in communications, policy and programming for several organizations in the field of sexual and reproductive rights, including Canadians for Equal Marriage and the Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights.  

In addition to working full-time with the CCPA, Emily serves on the Board of Directors of Canadians for Choice, a non-profit charitable organization working toward reproductive justice in Canada.   

Armine Yalnizyan, Senior Economist

Armine Yalnizyan joined the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives as senior economist in 2008, after a long association dating back to 1993. Armine is a founding and regular contributor to the Globe and Mail’s online business feature, Economy Lab.  She has a twice-weekly business column on CBC Radio's number one morning show, Metro Morning, reaching a million listeners in the Greater Toronto Area.  Armine also appears every Thursday on the Big Picture Panel, a popular weekly feature of Canada's premier business-news program, CBC-TV's Lang and O'Leary Exchange.

Armine obtained her M.A. in Industrial Relations from University of Toronto. She has a bi-lingual B.A. in economics from Glendon College, York University, which included a year of economics at Université de Bordeaux, France.

She serves on the boards of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research's Institute of Population and Public Health, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, and the Canadian Association for Business Economics. 

Photos by Ben Welland and Neil Ward.