Quick Facts
Biography
Brian Paul Goodman (2 June 1947 in Toronto – 18 June 2013 in Florida) was the Chairperson of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB).
History
Brian Goodman was trained as a lawyer, and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1974. He had a Masters Degree in Public Law. In 1983 he joined the Ontario Civil Service. In May 1998, he was appointed to the position of Executive Lead, Agency Reform for Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General.
In 2001, Goodman was appointed a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, and assigned to the Convention Refugee Determination Division in Toronto. In 2003 he was reappointed to that position. While a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board, he heard the case of Jeremy Hinzman, a U.S. soldier seeking refugee status in Canada after his refusal to participate in the Iraq War.
In 2007, Goodman was appointed as chairperson of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. His appointment was initially for four years.
Goodman died suddenly in Florida in June 2013. Goodman was remembered by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney as having led a number of reforms in relation to refugee determination at the Board, including the establishment of a new Refugee Protection Division and a Refugee Appeal Division.