Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Scott Harris

Scott Harris was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in July 2022.

Prior to this appointment, he was the Vice-President of the Intelligence and Enforcement Branch at Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) since June 2020. At CBSA, Scott led delivery of the Intelligence and Enforcement Branch’s 8 national programs, has worked closely with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada on the Canada–United States Safe Third Country Agreement and led CBSA’s response following the collapse of Afghanistan and the war in Ukraine.

Scott also previously held the position of Regional Deputy Commissioner of Ontario with the Correctional Service of Canada, where he was responsible for ensuring public safety by strategically leading correctional operations across Ontario and Nunavut, overseeing federal institutions and parole offices responsible for more than 6,500 federally sentenced offenders, and working with a strong network of community partners and stakeholders.

Scott began his public service career with the Correctional Service of Canada in 1995 as a Correctional Officer. He also held a number of other positions, including Case Management Officer, Parole Officer and Project Officer. He later moved into various management positions, including Director of Restorative Justice, Director General of Citizen Engagement, Associate Assistant Commissioner of Correctional Operations and Programs and Assistant Commissioner of Communications and Engagement. In addition, he has provided intergovernmental and international leadership for the federal government’s strategic advancement of restorative justice for more than 20 years.

Scott graduated from the University of Alberta with a bachelor’s degree in criminology and from Queen’s University with a master’s degree with a concentration in restorative justice.