Minister Finley Announces Appointment of Three Citizenship Judges

Prior to his appointment as a Citizenship judge, Thanh Hai Ngo was chairperson of the Employment Insurance Board of Referees in Ottawa, after a distinguished career as a teacher. Judge Ngo has been an active member of various Vietnamese communities across Canada and overseas, and is the Founder and former Chairperson of the Ottawa Vietnamese Non-profit Residence Corporation. He received a Master of Education from the University of Ottawa.

George Gibault is a Public Affairs and Legal Consultant. He has also worked for many years in British Columbia as a senior policy advisor and research director for the provincial and federal governments. Judge Gibault's career has included work as a columnist in both radio and television, and he has served as a lecturer and conference speaker on legal and public affairs issues. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of British Columbia.

Harold Gilleshammer is a Special Assistant to the Member of Parliament for Brandon-Souris. He was also a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1988 to 2003, where he served as a Minister of several departments. A former teacher, he has been very active in the education community as well as in the general community for many years. He received a Bachelor of Arts in History, Political Science and English from the University of Manitoba and a Bachelor of Education from Brandon University.

Citizenship judges are responsible for making decisions with regard to citizenship applications, presiding over citizenship ceremonies and administering the oath of citizenship to new citizens.

613-954-1064