Joanna Dafoe

Joanna Dafoe is a Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. She has held senior roles in the Government of Canada, most recently as Chief of Staff to Canada’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. During her time in government, she helped lead the development of Canada’s Emissions Reduction Plan, a comprehensive, sector-by-sector roadmap for meeting the country’s 2030 climate target. Her team in the Minister’s Office advanced policies related to sustainable finance, international climate policy, climate adaptation, carbon pricing, and clean electricity.

Before joining the Minister’s Office, Joanna was National Director, Climate Change, at the Insurance Bureau of Canada, where she advanced climate objectives for the property and casualty insurance industry across both its underwriting and asset management functions. Earlier in her career, she served as Senior Advisor to Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change. 

Joanna has taught international climate law as an adjunct faculty member at the Queen’s University Faculty of Law, and currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto and graduate degrees in law (JD), business (MBA), and environmental science (MESc) from Yale University.