Daniel Bernhard Appointed CEO of The Institute for Canadian Citizenship
TORONTO, July 12, 2021 /CNW/ - The Institute for Canadian Citizenship is pleased to announce Daniel Bernhard as incoming CEO, effective after Labour Day. He will be succeeding Yasir Naqvi, who is leaving the ICC to seek elected office as a Member of Parliament.
Daniel comes to the ICC following a transformative run as Executive Director and Spokesperson of FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting, where he led the effort to rally Canadians around cultural sovereignty on air and online.
Daniel is a first generation Canadian. His parents came to Canada from Chile in the 1970s when that country was ruled by a military dictatorship, and his grandparents and great-grandparents were all immigrants and refugees.
Adrienne Clarkson, Co-Chair of the ICC says: "Daniel's family history and his professional experience as a successful activist for public causes make him the perfect choice to lead the Institute in our next period of growth in the areas of citizenship, diversity and belonging."
Daniel is intimately aware of the importance of maintaining a pluralistic democracy, and the imperative to never take the privilege of citizenship for granted.
Founded by Co-Chairs the Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul, the ICC is Canada's leading citizenship organization and the world's foremost voice on citizenship and inclusion. Its national grassroots programs include CANOO (formerly the Cultural Access Pass), which provides new citizens with free access to over 1,400 cultural sites across Canada. It is the only program of its kind in the world. The Building Citizenship program delivers widely acclaimed enhanced community citizenship ceremonies.
The ICC's 6 Degrees, the Global Forum for Inclusion, convenes international conversations on immigration, refugees, diversity and citizenship. It is based in Toronto with hubs in Berlin, Calgary, Mexico City and Montreal.
The ICC's new Strategy Hub marshalls data, produces public material and develops strategic public interventions to advocate for inclusion.
"Daniel's passion for the public good makes him a perfect leader for the ICC as we focus, not only on changing the discourse and policies in Canada, but around the world," says John Ralston Saul, Co-Chair of the ICC.
As the new CEO, Daniel will direct the ICC as it plans the most ambitious expansion program of its fifteen-year history.
"I am humbled and honoured to have the chance to work with such an illustrious and committed group of citizens. As inequality, authoritarianism, trolling, climate change, and other forces drive us apart, the ICC's work to broaden, deepen and strengthen the collective endeavour of citizenship grows more important by the day." - Daniel Bernhard
During his time as CEO, Yasir Naqvi, Ontario's former Attorney General, successfully led drives to rebrand the Institute under the umbrella of Inclusion.ca. He worked with businesses to give paid time off for people to attend their citizenship ceremonies. He also launched a podcast, hosted 6 Degrees in Calgary, Mexico City, Berlin and Toronto, transformed the Cultural Access Pass into the CANOO app and hosted citizenship ceremonies to celebrate Black History Month, National Indigenous History Month, International Women's Day, and more. We thank him for his contributions!
SOURCE Institute for Canadian Citizenship
on the ICC or to arrange an interview with Daniel Bernhard, please contact: Institute for Canadian Citizenship, Contact: Alana Dunbar, Manager, Communications and Fundraising, Email: [email protected]; [email protected], Phone: 613-552-2019; To arrange an interview with the co-founders and co-chairs of the ICC, please contact: Office of The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson, Contact: Nicole Sen, Email: [email protected], Office: 416-964-2313; Office of John Ralston Saul, Contact: Stephen Clarke, Email: [email protected], Office: 416-964-2313
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