Sherri Torjman

Sherri Torjman is a Public Policy Fellow at the CSA Public Policy Centre and social policy consultant. From 1992 to 2017, she was Vice-President of the Caledon Institute of Social Policy, one of Canada’s leading social policy think tanks. In this role, she helped to propose and design the Canada Child Benefit and other income security and tax measures. From 2018 to 2022, Sherri served as the Vice-Chair of the Disability Advisory Committee reporting to the Minister of National Revenue. She co-Chaired the Technical Advisory Committee on Tax Measures for Persons with Disabilities in 2004-05, reporting to the Minister of Finance and Minister of National Revenue.

In 1987, Sherri wrote Welfare in Canada: The Tangled Safety Net, developing the methodology still published by Maytree for calculating social assistance incomes across Canada. Sherri worked for the House of Commons Committee on the Disabled in 1981 and wrote four books on disability policy for the Roeher Institute. She was a founding partner of the Vibrant Communities initiative focused on local solutions to reducing poverty. In recognition of her policy work, Sherri was awarded the 2017 Senate 150 Anniversary Medal, 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2011 Champion of Human Services Award from the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association, and 2010 Top 25 Canadians Award from the Canadian Association of Retired Persons. She is a Board member of Prosper Canada, an organization that works to expand economic opportunity for people living in poverty.