Dr. Shauna Labman Appointed Executive Director of Global College

Wed. Nov. 30, 2022

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Shauna Labman to the role of Executive Director of Global College as of January 1, 2023. 

Dr. Shauna Labman is a legal scholar who writes and speaks extensively on refugee law, resettlement and private refugee sponsorship within a broader context of human rights and public international law. She focuses on the layered influences of law on public policy and government positioning. 

In addition to her engagement in law and resettlement through teaching and scholarly work, Professor Labman offers her support for the Global College's community, including the Human Rights, Development Practice, Peace and Conflict Studies, and Indigenous Languages programs. She brings her expertise in human rights law, advocacy, and leadership to the diverse local and national community groups of Global College. 

Professor Labman completed both her PhD and LLM at the University of British Columbia, Faculty of Law and received her LLB from the University of Victoria. Her doctoral work was supported by the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Liu Institute for Global Issues. Prior to joining the Global College, Professor Labman taught in the Faculty of Law at the University of Manitoba. She has previously worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in New Delhi, the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, the Law Commission of Canada in Ottawa, the Workers Compensation Board of BC, and the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit. She articled as a law clerk at Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal. In 2016 she was named one of CBC Manitoba’s “Future 40” for her work with educational, advocacy, and settlement groups.

Her book, Crossing Law’s Border: Canada’s Refugee Resettlement Program (UBC Press 2019) examines the intersection of international rights, responsibility and obligation in the absence of a legal scheme for refugee resettlement. Crossing Law’s Border was awarded the 2019 K.D. Srivastava Prize for Excellence in Scholarly Publishing. She is co-editor of the book Strangers to Neighbours: Refugee Sponsorship in Context (MQUP 2020). Both books were consecutively named in The Hill Times’ list of 100 Best Books in 2019 and 2020. 

On behalf of Global College faculty, staff, and students, we congratulate and welcome Professor Labman in her new role!