Phone: 416-597-3473

Email: rroth@globalpublic.com

Rick Roth is the Vice President Strategic Communications, Ontario, at Global Public Affairs, helping clients navigate the new Government in Ontario under Premier Doug Ford.  Rick works with clients seeking opportunities to collaborate with the public sector to achieve their business objectives.

Rick has more than a decade of experience in government, crisis communications and public affairs, holding senior positions in Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.  Most recently he served as the Chief of Staff to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks helping shape Ontario’s Environment Plan; a detailed vision ranging from the protection of air, land and water, addressing litter and waste as well as Ontario’s new approach to Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

Previously Rick spent more than two years as the Senior Manager for Issues and Reputation Management at Scotiabank, one of Canada’s largest and most international banks.  There he crafted crisis communications plans for the Bank and their senior executives ranging from issues around cyber security, international trade and commerce as well as in retail and digital banking.  Rick also led the Bank’s external communications strategy during their quarterly earnings as well as numerous mergers and acquisitions.

Rick served within the Government of Canada as the Director of Communications to Canada’s Foreign Minister as well as with Canada’s International Trade Minister; leading the communications team in promoting Canada’s foreign policy and trade priorities around the world, responding to the fluid and unpredictable nature of international relations.  Rick’s term with the federal government concluded with the Minister of International Trade during the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership), where Rick led the communications roll-out and stakeholder strategy.

Rick is passionate about international relations, crisis communications and politics, and has built a positive reputation among his colleagues in the media, both in Canada and around the world.

Rick is a graduate of Brock University with a B.A. in Political Science with a Concentration in Public Law.

Email: mmsmith@globalpublic.com

Monique Smith is Senior Counsel with Global Public Affairs with a focus on Canada-US relations.

Monique was Ontario’s first appointed Representative to Washington. In 2013, she led the incoming Premier’s transition team and successfully assisted the new government through its first six months in office at Queen’s Park.  She had previously served as Ontario’s Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Government House Leader, Minister of Tourism and Minister of Revenue.  During her first four years of elected office she served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, with particular responsibility for Long-Term Care.

Before being elected in 2003, Monique served as Executive Director of the Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP) and as Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Official Opposition in the Ontario Legislature.  Monique began her professional career practising labour and employment law at McCarthy Tétrault.

A strong advocate for Ontario’s interests, Monique was the first person to hold the Washington post in the Canadian Embassy, a post she held for five years. She sat on the Premier’s Committee on Ontario-U.S. Economic and Trade Relations and co-chaired the Ontario-US Engagement Strategy with the Deputy Ministers of International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs. During her tenure in DC, she travelled the US representing Ontario’s interests.

Since returning to Canada, Monique has assisted clients on Canada-US matters and has been consulting for the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute on parliamentary and election reform in Myanmar and Malaysia.