Our Interim Leader:
Dominic Cardy
Dominic Cardy was born in the UK in 1970; his family moved to Fredericton in 1971. He was elected as the Progressive Conservative MLA for the constituency of Fredericton West-Hanwell in 2018 and sworn in as Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development in November 2018. Re-elected in 2020 and re-appointed as Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development in September 2020, he resigned as Minister in 2022 and sits as an independent. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Dalhousie University.
Dominic worked for the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs on the campaign to ban landmines, for the Washington-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in increasingly senior managerial roles, living and working in countries across Asia and Africa, and then served as Asia-Pacific Director for the Ottawa-based Forum of Federations.
He was Leader of the New Brunswick New Democratic Party from 2011-2016 and Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition from 2017-2018. He is a member of the editorial board of Inroads, a Canadian policy journal, and has been a flying instructor since 1994.
Our Interim President:
Tara McPhail
Tara McPhail is a lawyer in Vancouver with expertise in professional self-regulation and a background in management-side labour and employment law. She is a former Parliament Hill political staffer and veteran of several political campaigns. Born in Whitehorse and having lived, worked or studied in all Canadian jurisdictions except the Maritimes, Tara is passionate about offering Canadians a political party that is pragmatic and principled.
Our National Council
Dr Beth-Anne Schuelke-Leech
Vice President
Beth-Anne is currently an Associate Professor of Engineering Management at the University of Windsor. She immigrated to Canada as a child in 1975. Initially her family settled in Northern Ontario before settling near Toronto. She went to McMaster University for her undergraduate degree in Engineering, and then to York University for her MBA, before earning her PhD at the University of Georgia in Public Policy. Beth-Anne has been a licensed professional engineer since 1997. She has worked for many years on regulatory compliance and governance, as well as serving on non-profit and private sector boards.
Julie Smith
Secretary
Julie Smith was born in Nova Scotia and holds a BBA, an MA in immigration and settlement studies, and a law degree. She worked on refugee programs in Egypt, monitored five elections in Ukraine, and one in Bulgaria. She has represented Canada at the OSCE, G7 and OECD while working for the New Brunswick, Ontario and federal government on files including immigration, counter terrorism, equalities, and literacy. Ms. Smith held roles in provincial and federal election campaigns including candidate vetting, leaders' debate prep, and campaign volunteer. She co-wrote the papers that guided New Brunswick's government response to COVID-19 and the refugee crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In 2018 she was named a BMW Foundation Global Responsible Leader. Ms. Smith lives in New Brunswick where she manages a not-for-profit.
Denis Blanchette
Quebec
Denis brings a wealth of political experience to our new party. He was elected as an NDP Member of Parliament for Louis-Hébert in the Orange Wave of 2011. He had been involved in the party long before that as a candidate and a member of the riding’s Electoral District Association. After his time in Ottawa, he became the founding president of the provincial wing of the NDP in Quebec in 2017, where he once again presented himself as a candidate at the first by-election before the subsequent provincial election. Recognizing principles and policies are more important than party colour, he switched his affiliation to the Green Party of Canada in 2018 and served as candidate, president of his riding association and as an interim member on the party’s provincial executive. His active participation in electoral politics is driven by his search to find consistency between political speech and political action that lead to concrete results for Canadians. He has a particular interest in protection of our environment. He sees the Canadian Future Party as a viable vehicle for those goals. A retired public servant, Denis graduated from Laval University with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and journalism.
Cody Sharpe
Saskatchewan
Dr. Cody Sharpe holds a PhD in public policy from the University of Saskatchewan and currently lives in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Originally from Baynes Lake, BC, Cody has lived and worked in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and the Yukon as a policy advisor and program specialist to various public government ministries, non-profit corporations, and Indigenous government agencies. Currently, Cody and his wife Vanessa run their own consultancy and serve non-profit clients across Saskatchewan in the areas of board governance, program evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning. Cody also serves on various boards and committees related to public education and community development, including the Moose Jaw Public Library, Palliser Regional Library, Moose Jaw Kinsmen, and Regina Autism Resource Centre.
Nancy McKay
New Brunswick
Over more than 45 years, Nancy’s community and work experience incorporated a collaborative approach with partners in the non-profit, business and government environments. She has contributed to health and social policy and experienced success as a senior executive, consultant, planner, health professional, and volunteer. Nancy is former Chief of Staff to then Premier David Alward and was Deputy Minister for Planning and Priorities, Intergovernmental Affairs and Women’s Equality. She has served as a riding president, sat on the PC Provincial Council and was the candidate of record on three occasions.
David MacLeod
Nova Scotia
David served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 27 years and was medically released in 2010. He completed multiple overseas tours, including Cyprus, Bosnia, Kosovo, SW Asia, and Afghanistan. David holds a BA in political studies (U of Manitoba) and an MA in Human Security and Peacebuilding (Royal Roads University). David recently retired from the Veterans Ombudsman's Advisory Council. David also assisted in the passing of accessibility legislation in Nova Scotia.
Chelsey Buggie
Newfoundland & Labrador
Chelsey is a lawyer based in St. John’s, NL with her partner Ian and corgi (Bruce). She earned her Juris Doctor from UNB Law, and is now primarily practicing in civil litigation. She also holds a B.Sc in Biochemistry (MUNL) and is a masters candidate in technology management (MUNL). She previously served on the CBA’s national privacy law executive and is particularly interested in the intersections of law, technology, and democracy. Outside of work, she is an avid foodie and traveler.
Bruce Lamb
Ontario
Bruce Lamb is a serial entrepreneur who lives in London, Ontario. He owns several small businesses including a small cash crop farm and a search engine optimization & digital marketing company. He has an Honours Business Administration (HBA) degree from the Ivey Business School at Western University where he also volunteers as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence, coaching students in their new venture projects. He has been involved on EDA boards for over 35years and has put his name forward in the candidate nomination process twice. He was a two-term Alderman with the Township of West Lincoln in Niagara in the 1990s before retiring (voluntarily). Bruce has run 24 marathons, including 5 Boston Marathons, and is an avid horseback rider, doing laps of the track at Western University whenever their Mustangs football team scores a touchdown.
Ken Armour
British Columbia
Ken is currently working for various organizations in the post-secondary education sector. He has over 20 years in various senior management positions with the BC Government and the Government of Canada. His focus was in the areas of advanced education, research and innovation, Indigenous relations and reconciliation, and intergovernmental relations. Ken has a Master of Public Administration, a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts, all from the University of Alberta. Ken lives in Esquimalt with his wife (a provincial public servant) and his cat (no fixed role) and enjoys running, hiking, cycling and travelling.
Roger Straathof
Alberta
Roger is an experienced and successful banking business leader with domestic and international exposure to energy, technology, infrastructure, emerging markets, and government relationships. Roger has held increasingly senior, executive and leadership roles in capital markets, risk management, corporate and commercial banking, and as executive assistant to the CEO and Chairman of RBC. These roles have spanned Canada (Calgary, Vancouver, & Toronto) and Europe (Frankfurt and London). Roger holds a Master of Public Policy at the University of Calgary and has been active in campaigning for various provincial political parties in Alberta and BC, and has served on the Calgary West riding board.