Peter Seemann – With 20 years experience as a business owner and entrepreneur, Peter has been involved in Canadian politics since 1993. Through his political activism Peter has forged many strong relationships within the current federal Conservative party and the Progressive Conservative Party in Ontario. His proven project management skills and persuasive personality have made Peter a successful political campaign manager at both the federal and provincial levels to several influential members of parliament.
Peter has lent his leadership skills to help build many not for profit organizations. Currently he is the founding and current chair for Steward of the Earth, a not-for-profit organization that engages children on environmental initiatives. A graduate of Royal Roads University’s MBA in Executive Management, Peter graduated in 2008 with a specialization in Leadership.
Email: peter@grassrootspublicaffairs.com
ca.linkedin.com/in/peterseemann
Christine McMillan - Christine is a strategist who provides organizations with an in-depth understanding of the inner workings of provincial politics and government, particularly in Ontario. She first became involved in public affairs in 1996, working with several high ranking Liberal MPPs, and later joined Dalton McGuinty’s office when he was Leader of the Official Opposition.
After Premier McGuinty’s successful campaign in 2003, Christine was named Executive Assistant to the Premier's Chief of Staff, and subsequently held the positions of Director of Operations and Director of Research in the Liberal Caucus Services Bureau. During the 2007 General Election, Christine served as co-director for the Ontario Liberal campaign's War Room. In addition Christine currently serves on the Ontario Liberal Party Executive as Vice-President of Communications.
Email: christine@grassrootspublicaffairs.com
Gary Grant - Gary is a retired Staff Superintendent of the Toronto Police Service and the recipient of the prestigious Medal of Merit of Policing Award presented by the Governor General of Canada, Michaëlle Jean. In 1984 Gary founded Toronto Crime Stoppers and recently was appointed once again as their chairman. He has served as the Chair of the Toronto Police Widows and Orphans Fund, President of the Police Amateur Athletic Association and Toronto Coordinator of the Ontario Torch Run for Special Olympics. Gary is currently a Director on the Board of the Toronto East General Hospital Foundation and is the lead spokesperson for the National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco.
Gary is very well connected to the Administration of the City of Toronto and is active in many community events.
Paul Pivato – Paul Pivato is a specialist in media relations and corporate communications. His work and expertise have been utilized by many prominent Canadian companies such as Magna International, Royal Bank and the Schulich School of Business. Over his many years of experience Paul has worked with many prominent elected officials including several Prime Ministerial press secretaries for both Liberal and Conservative governments. He has also written speeches for senior business executives in a variety of different sectors.
Paul holds an Honours BA in English and Creative Writing from York University and a Master of Journalism from the University of California at Berkeley. He ran as a candidate for Parliament in the riding of York-Simcoe in the 1993 Federal election.
Matt Morrison - Holds an Honours BA in Political Science from the University of Ottawa, and a Master of Arts in International Relations from Wilfrid Laurier University. In authoring and defending his Master's thesis, Matt conducted extensive research into the topic of social movement success, which is how he came to be interested in the fields of government relations and communications.
Matt has lived and worked in both Europe and Asia, providing him with a unique perspective on the political, cultural, and economic realities of the world. Fluent in French and English, Matt is currently learning Mandarin as well.
A solid researcher and writer Matt has been extensively involved in several election campaigns at both the federal and provincial levels in Ontario.
Email: matt@grassrootspublicaffairs.com
Chris Gray - As the former Director of Innovation Policy for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Chris has significant expertise in policy development and advocacy related to e-commerce, telecommunications, intellectual property, privacy, and competition policy. Prior to his career at the Chamber, Chris worked in government and community relations with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority. Chris also spent several years working as a Legislative Assistant and Constituency Office Manager for a federal Member of Parliament in Toronto.
Chris holds a double major in Geography and History from Mt. Allison University, and is currently based in Ottawa.
Email: chris@grassrootspublicaffairs.com