HARDISH Kaur Dhaliwal is one of the 10 citizenship judges whose names were announced on Thursday by the federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed Hussen.
Dhaliwal is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales with more than 25 years of senior management experience in the private, public and NGO sectors.
She has worked throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and Central America, and has had an extensive public service career with the Ontario Ministries of Citizenship and Immigration, Advanced Education and Skills Development, the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the Treasury Board Secretariat.
The 10 highly qualified individuals were selected for their embodiment of civic values and their inspirational contributions to their communities and to Canada. Supporting the Government of Canada’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, these individuals will play the important role of fostering a sense of belonging and attachment to Canada for aspiring and new Canadians, according to the IRCC.
Citizenship judges are responsible for making decisions on some citizenship applications, presiding over citizenship ceremonies and administering the oath of citizenship to new citizens. They also play an important role in promoting Canadian citizenship and civic values in their communities.
Citizenship judges are appointed by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. New appointees are chosen from a list of qualified candidates who have gone through an open, transparent and merit-based selection process. Candidates for citizenship judge appointments are evaluated against the skills required by the position: judgment / analytical thinking; decision-making; effective communication; cross-cultural sensitivity; and community standing.