St. Catharines professor serving as special advisor to the PM’s office
Published September 13, 2022 at 12:53 pm
A Brock University researched is off to Ottawa to serve as a special advisor on gender, rights, and social, economic and legal issues to the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada.
Dr. Kate Bezanson took a leave from her position as an Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology to take part in a secondment, which started on September 6.
(A secondment simply means your workplace allowing a temporary relocation to another workplace in need.)
Bezanson told Brock News it was “the privilege and honour of a lifetime to serve Canadians” and she is grateful for the University’s support of her new undertaking.
“I am deeply appreciative of Brock for supporting me to take a leave of absence to undertake this secondment,” she says.
“I am also profoundly grateful to tremendous colleagues throughout our wonderful University with whom I have had the sincere pleasure to work, and in particular to the team of remarkable people in the Faculty of Social Sciences Dean’s Office.”
Dean Ingrid Makus from Brock University’s Faculty of Social Sciences hugely endorsed the shift for the faculty member.
“Dr. Bezanson’s timely research in the crucial areas of gender, care and policy has been widely recognized,” says Makus. “We in the Faculty are thrilled to see her share her expertise, as well as her practical experience with child care and other policies, with the Office of the Prime Minister.”
Dr. Bezanson, who holds a PhD from York University and an LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School, has previously served as an appointee of the Attorney General of Canada to the federal Judicial Advisory Committee for Ontario South and West and has provided policy advice to governments at all levels, striving to bridge the gap between academic research and practicable policy approaches.
As you can see in this April 2019 Twitter post, Dr. Bezanson and
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have met in the past.