Transition Binder: Public Safety Canada Deputies and Assistant Deputy Ministers
Tricia Geddes, Deputy Minister, Public Safety Canada
Tricia Geddes was appointed Deputy Minister of Public Safety Canada effective October 31, 2024
Prior to her appointment, Ms. Geddes held the role of Associate Deputy Minister of Public Safety as of June 2022
Before joining the department, Ms. Geddes was the Deputy Director, Policy and Strategic Partnerships (DDP) at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) since April 2020. As DDP, she was responsible for key partnerships in the areas of strategic policy development, foreign relations, external review and compliance, communications, academic outreach and stakeholder engagement, as well as litigation and disclosure.
She also supported the Director and the Minister of Public Safety in their accountability for the overall operational activities of the Service, and ensured CSIS was accountable, transparent, and attuned to the strategic interests of the Government of Canada.
Ms. Geddes joined CSIS in 2014 as the Director General of Policy and Foreign Relations and then served as an Assistant Director, beginning in 2017. Previously, she held positions with the Canadian Armed Forces as Associate Director of Staff for the Strategic Joint Staff, as well as with the Privy Council Office in a number of analyst positions.
Ms. Geddes graduated from the University of Toronto (Trinity College) with a combined degree in Political Science and Peace and Conflict Studies.
Daniel Mills, Associate Deputy Minister, Public Safety Canada
Daniel Mills was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Public Safety Canada, effective December 2, 2024. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Mills held the position of Assistant Deputy Minister of Enterprise IT Procurement and Corporate Services Branch at Shared Services Canada (SSC). He brings with him a wide range of knowledge and leadership skills that he has gained over the years in various senior management roles. Mr. Mills is known for his innovative approach to get things done and his proximity to his staff. Over the course of several years, Mr. Mills occupied the positions of Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of Service Delivery at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Management and Chief Financial Officer. He has also served as Director General of Financial Management and Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Director General of Financial Operations, as well as Director of Accounting Operations all within IRCC.
Mr. Mills has served as a public servant with the federal government since 1994. Aside from his past responsibilities at SSC and IRCC, he has occupied several positions at the Department of Natural Resources Canada, the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages and the Public Service Labour Relations Board.
Mr. Mills is a chartered professional accountant and holds a bachelor's degree in business administration with a specialization in accounting from the University of Sherbrooke. He is also a graduate of the Government of Canada's Career Assignment Program (Educational Component Direxion).
Jeffery Hutchinson, Associate Deputy Minister, Emergency Preparedness
Jeffery Hutchinson was appointed Associate Deputy Minister (Emergency Management) of Public Safety Canada, effective December 9, 2024.
From 2019 to 2024, Mr. Hutchinson served in various capacities at the Privy Council Office, including most recently as the Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet for the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference. Mr. Hutchinson served as the Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard from 2017 to 2019. He had previously held the position of Deputy Commissioner, Strategy and Shipbuilding, from 2015 to 2017.
Before his time with the Canadian Coast Guard, Mr. Hutchinson was Executive Director at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. Earlier in his career, he served as Executive Director at the Indian Residential Schools Adjudication Secretariat; as General Counsel in the Resolution Branch of the Department of Justice Canada; and as General Counsel and Head of Legal Services at Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada.
Mr. Hutchinson holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Western Ontario (now Western University). He believes in an innovative, effective, and efficient public service with a strong sense of mission and a strong sense of its core values.
Patrick Amyot, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Security Officer and Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Management Branch
Patrick Amyot (he, him) was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister of the Corporate Management Branch in June 2019. He also serves as Departmental Champion for Learning and Development. From October 2018 to June 2019, he was Director General of Programs in the Emergency Management and Programs Branch at Public Safety. Prior to that, he was Comptroller and Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the Department for three years. Assistant Deputy Minister Amyot has been working within the federal government for over 25 years. Since 2006, he has occupied various executive positions such as the Senior Director General, Integrated Corporate Accounting and Accountability at Employment and Social Development Canada. He has also held a range of positions with Industry Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, the Public Service Commission, and Transport Canada. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting as well as a Graduate Diploma in Management Accounting from the Université du Québec en Outaouais. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Management Accountant (CMA).
Sébastien Aubertin-Giguère, Assistant Deputy Minister, National and Cyber Security Branch
Sébastien Aubertin-Giguère (he, him) is the Assistant Deputy Minister of the National and Cybersecurity Branch of Public Safety Canada. As part of his new role as National Counter-Foreign Interference (FI) Coordinator, Sébastien is responsible for providing policy and operational coordination at the federal level on counter-FI issues, and work with other levels of government and civil society to increase Canada's resilience against FI threats. He first joined Public Safety in 2022. From 2021-2022, he was Assistant Deputy Minister of Programs and Implementation at Health Canada, with a mandate to procure COVID-19 rapid tests for the Government of Canada. He was Director General for Acquisitions Program Transformation at Public Services and Procurement Canada from 2018-2021, where he led a major overhaul of federal procurement. Sébastien also spent 9 years in various positions at the Canada Border Services Agency, working notably on the modernization of air traveler programs, and worked 7 years at the Privy Council Office.
Assistant Deputy Minister Aubertin-Giguère holds a B.A. in political science from the Université du Québec á Montreal, an M.A. in international affairs from Carleton University, and an M.B.A. from the McGill-HEC in Montreal.
Trevor Bhupsingh, Assistant Deputy Minister, Emergency Management and Programs Branch
Trevor Bhupsingh (he, him) was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister of the Emergency Management and Programs Branch in November 2020. He also serves as Departmental Champion for Wellness. Prior to joining the Emergency Management and Programs Branch, Assistant Deputy Minister Bhupsingh held various positions within Public Safety Canada. He was the Acting Assistant Deputy Minister of the Community Safety and Countering Crime Branch, and prior to that, he was the Director General of Law Enforcement and Border Strategies Directorate.
Since starting his career with the federal government in 1992, he served in a number of departments at the executive level, including Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, Industry Canada, and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. He holds a Master of Arts in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Political Science, both from Carleton University. He also holds an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership from Harvard University.
Patrick Boucher, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, National and Cyber Security Branch
Patrick Boucher (he, him) was appointed as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for the National and Cyber Security Branch of Public Safety Canada effective March 27, 2023. Senior Assistant Deputy Minister Boucher previously served as the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) at Indigenous Services Canada. In that role, he lead a large regionally based sector that provided direct health services and supports to First Nations, Inuit, and Metis partners. He also led efforts on a variety of major Government of Canada priorities related to reconciliation, including Indigenous Health Legislation, Health System's Transformation, Anti-Indigenous Racism in health systems and provided overall leadership in responding to the COVID-19 global pandemic impacting Indigenous communities.
Prior to that role, he was the Vice-President and Chief Transformation Officer at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) where he was responsible for providing overall leadership for the Agency's Transformation agenda. From 2009 to 2019, he served at Justice Canada as well as held various Director General positions at Public Safety Canada such as Director General for Critical Infrastructure and Strategic Coordination of the National and Cyber Security Branch.
Talal Dakalbab, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Crime Prevention Branch
Talal Dakalbab (he, him) was appointed as the Assistant Deputy Minister for the Crime Prevention Branch in November 2020. He also serves as Public Safety's Departmental Champion of Diversity and Inclusion, overseeing efforts to enhance diversity and inclusion at Public Safety, as well as address harassment and discrimination, and promote Employment Equity and Official Languages. Prior to this appointment, he was the Director General, International Policy and Partnerships Directorate at the Canada Border Services Agency, a position he held since January 2018, and played an integral role in the Agency's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister Dakalbab was the Executive Director General and Chief Operating Officer of the Parole Board of Canada (PBC). He began his career with the PBC in April 2011, as the Director of the Board Member Secretariat. More recently, he held the positions of Director, Communications and Access to Information and Privacy, as well as Regional Director General in the PBC's Prairie Region. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the University of Ottawa.
John Davies, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Federal Policing Advisory Team
John Davies (he, him) re-joined Public Safety in March 2024 to lead the Federal Policing Advisory Team, an interdepartmental effort to advise the Government on options to enhance the RCMP's federal mandate. In 2019, John stood up the National Security & Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) as the first Executive Director. From 2011 to 2019, he was Director General of Public Safety's National Security Policy Directorate, responsible for a variety of policy and legislative issues, including the National Security Act, 2017. Prior, he was with the Department of Finance (2001-2011) and the Canadian International Development Agency (1992-2001). He holds degrees from the University of Ottawa and London School of Economics.
Joanne Garrah, Assistant Deputy Minister, Emergency Management and Programs Branch
Joanne Garrah is an Assistant Deputy Manager at Public Safety. Prior to joining Public Safety, Joanne was the Assistant Secretary of Emergency Preparedness at Privy Council Office, where she supported the Minister of Emergency Preparedness and the Prime Minister on policy and operational issues related to emergency management. Previously, Joanne was the Director General of Licensing and Medical Access for cannabis at Health Canada. She was responsible for standing up the commercial licensing regulatory program following legalization of cannabis in 2018. Throughout her career, Joanne has held various roles in strategic policy, regulatory affairs, and senior advisor to senior personnel. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Science from Queen's University.
Shannon Grainger, Assistant Deputy Minister, Portfolio Affairs and Communications Branch
Shannon Grainger (she, her) has spent most of her career as a policy and program development professional working in areas of economic, social and security policy helping to shape and implement government priorities in a variety of roles. Prior to joining Public Safety Canada as the Assistant Deputy Minister, Portfolio Affairs and Communications Branch in August 2022, she was an Executive Director in the International Affairs, Security and Justice Sector at Treasury Board Secretariat and Director General, Strategic Policy at Employment and Social Development Canada.
Assistant Deputy Minister Grainger began her career at the Department of Finance Canada and over 18 years held numerous positions in financial sector policy, social and economic policy and in the office of the Minister of Finance. She has a master's degree in Public Administration from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia and a honours bachelor's degree in Political Studies from Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario. [REDACTED]
Greg Kenney, Assistant Deputy Minister, Firearms Program Branch
Greg Kenney (he, him) joined Public Safety in July 2022, to lead the design and implementation of the national Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program. Prior to this role, Assistant Deputy Minister Kenney worked with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in support of the Land Border Crossing Project and led the design of the three largest ports of entry. He joined CBSA after four years at the National Capital Commission (NCC), as the Vice-President of the Official Residences Branch. Before joining the NCC, Assistant Deputy Minister Kenney spent four years with Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) in two different roles as Director General. From 2014 to 2017, he was posted to France and responsible for VAC's operations overseas. He led significant commemorative events including the 100th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge in France, which welcomed 25,000 people. He has also held various positions with Public Safety Canada, Treasury Board of Canada, the Solicitor General Canada, Industry Canada and Environment Canada. Greg has a master's degree from Concordia University and a bachelor's degree from Carleton University and is a Certified Project Management Professional.
Chris Moran, Assistant Deputy Minister, Indigenous Affairs Branch
Chris Moran (she, her) joined Public Safety in 2021 as the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Indigenous Affairs Branch. Prior to this, she was the Director General of the Trade Strategy and Portfolio Coordination Bureau in the International Business Development Branch of Global Affairs Canada. She has extensive experience in strategic policy development and program policy including trade & trade promotion policy (SPS, TBT, Responsible Business Conduct) and agricultural policy. She has served as a Canadian negotiator in multilateral and bilateral negotiations and led federal negotiations with provinces and territories to address cost overruns in statutory agricultural programming, as well as establishing a performance measurement framework for the agricultural policy framework. She has served abroad as a trade commissioner and was the executive director of the Grain Growers of Canada.
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