Brampton City Council Appoints First Muslim Woman to Integrity Commissioner Role
Published July 16, 2019 at 8:27 pm
The Brampton City Council has appointed Muneeza Sheikh, who is the first Muslim woman appointed to the city’s joint-role of Integrity Commissioner and Lobbyist Registrar (which is a contract r
The Brampton City Council has appointed Muneeza Sheikh, who is the first Muslim woman appointed to the city’s joint-role of Integrity Commissioner and Lobbyist Registrar (which is a contract role).
Sheikh of Levitt LLP has been given the joint position of integrity commissioner and lobbyist registrar, effective July 11.
Sheikh is a senior partner at Levitt LLP specializing in labour and employment law in the GTA. She also appears regularly on major Canadian news shows, such as the CBC panel with Carole MacNeil. She is also the director of communications for Canadian Muslim Vote, which promotes the engagement of Muslim Canadians in the democratic process.
Sheikh will take over the position from Suzanne Craig, who was serving as the interim integrity commissioner.
As integrity commissioner, Sheikh will oversee the application of the Council Code of Conduct, along with any city by-laws, procedures, rules and policies governing the ethical behaviour of the mayor and councillors.
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In her role as lobbyist registrar, she will enforce the city’s Lobbyist and Gift Registries, as well as the Lobbyist Code of Conduct. The lobbyist registrar has the power to investigate complaints and to impose sanctions if lobbying activity has not been disclosed or if an individual has contravened the Lobbyist Code of Conduct.
For both roles, she will produce reports summarizing complaints, investigations and advice and will make recommendations for any improvements to the city’s accountability process.
“Brampton’s new integrity commissioner is not only a leading legal expert and an advocate for the democratic process, but also represents the very mosaic of Brampton’s diversity. She is the first Muslim female of colour to be appointed on a full contract as integrity commissioner in Brampton’s history. Supported by her leadership, this council is committed to transparency and government excellence which are foundational to Brampton being a well-run city,” says Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article said that Muneeza Sheikh is the first Muslim woman hired on a full contract. She is the first Muslim woman hired for this particular role, not the first Muslim woman on full contract. We regret the error.
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