Public Safety Canada Deputies and Assistant Deputy Ministers
Shawn Tupper, Deputy Minister, Public Safety Canada
Shawn Tupper (he, him) was appointed Deputy Minister of Public Safety Canada effective October 17, 2022.
Prior to his current appointment, Deputy Minister Tupper was the Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Operations) at the Privy Council Office, a position he held since May 2021; Associate Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada; Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet (Economic and Regional Policy Development) at the Privy Council Office; and, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy) at Transport Canada.
Between 2009 and 2015, Deputy Minister Tupper was part of the senior executive team at Public Safety where he provided oversight of Community Safety Programming, as well as policies and programs related to emergency planning, management and community resilience as Assistant Deputy Minister (Emergency Management and Programs Branch); and was responsible for the implementation of the National Crime Prevention Strategy, the Aboriginal Policing Program, as well as Corrections and Criminal Justice Policy as Assistant Deputy Minister (Community Safety and Partnerships Branch).
He also held the position of Director General of Social Policy at Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Director General at Indian Residential Schools Resolutions Canada and Special Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister at the Privy Council Office providing advice on issues related to Indian Residential Schools.
Tricia Geddes, Associate Deputy Minister, Public Safety Canada
Tricia Geddes (she, her) was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Public Safety Canada effective June 20, 2022.
Prior to her appointment, Associate Deputy Minister Geddes held the role of 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, by proxy, 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.
Associate Deputy Minister 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 senior analyst positions.
She graduated from the University of Toronto (Trinity College) with a combined degree in Political Science and Peace and Conflict Studies.
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.
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.
Greg Kenney, Assistant Deputy Minister, Firearms Programs
Greg Kenney (he, him) joined Public Safety in July 2022, to lead the design and implementation of the national Firearms Buyback Program for assault-style firearms. 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.
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]
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.
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.
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).
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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