Between May 5-8, 2025, CPATA will hold an election for one patent agent to serve on the Board of Directors.
Elected directors employ their experience in the patent agent and trademark agent professions to complement the perspectives of non-licensee appointed directors. Although elected by their peers, elected Directors serve as fiduciaries of CPATA and maintain a focus on the public interest. Directors are offered financial compensation for their time and expertise. Elected licensees will begin their term at CPATA’s Annual General Meeting on June 4, 2025 for a three year term.
Nominees
CPATA’s 2025 elections nominations period closed on Friday, March 7.
All licensees in good standing who meet the eligibility requirements may be nominated for the Board elections. In the event of only one candidate coming forward, pursuant to CPATA’s By-laws and Nominations and Elections Procedures, that candidate will be acclaimed.
Trademark Agent Acclamation
- Anne-Abigaïl Fils-Aimé
Ms. Anne-Abigaïl Fils-Aimé was the sole nominee for the trademark agent Director role. She will be acclaimed to the position. Therefore, an election will be conducted only for the Patent Agent role.
Patent Agent Election
The following licensees have been nominated for the patent agent Director role:
- Dennis Haszko
- Jean-Christophe Paquette
- Philip Swain
Expectations of Directors
Board members:
- help continue to build a new, world-class, modern public interest regulator
- act as a fiduciary to CPATA and in accordance with Board Governance Policies and Director Code of Conduct
- contribute insightful perspectives derived from their practice experience, background and personal qualities
- use their experience in the profession to complement the perspectives of non-licensee directors
- are elected to serve for a 3-year term
- participate in mostly virtual public meetings approximately every quarter, two in-person meetings per year, and additional meetings as may be required
- provide high-level strategic direction but are not involved in managing day-to-day operations
Eligibility
The CPATA Act establishes eligibility requirements to run in a CPATA election.
Section 14 provides that an individual is not eligible to be appointed or elected as a director if they
- are less than 18 years of age;
- have the status of a bankrupt;
- are a member of an association whose primary purpose is to represent the interests of persons who provide advice on patents or trademarks (i.e. IPIC);
- were, within the preceding 12 months, a member of a governing body or a steering committee of an association referred to in paragraph (c);
- in the case of an appointment to the Board,
- are a licensee, or
- are employed by a department, as defined in section 2 of the Financial Administration Act; or
- in the case of election to the Board,
- have a license that is suspended, or
- meet any other ineligibility criteria set out in the by-laws.
By-law 13 sets out additional ineligibility requirements as follows:
For purposes of subparagraphs 14(f)(ii) and 17(h)(iii) of the Act, an individual is not eligible to be an elected director if
- in the five years immediately before the day of the election, they have been found to have committed professional misconduct or to be incompetent by the Discipline Committee;
- in the five years immediately before the day of the election, they have been found by a professional regulatory body to have committed professional misconduct or to be incompetent within the meaning of the statute under which the body made its finding;
- they are the subject of an action taken by the Investigations Committee under subsection 37.1(1) of the Act;
- they are the subject of an application to the Discipline Committee by the Investigations Committee under subsection 49(1) of the Act;
- they have already served as a director for a period of six years and, on the date of the election, less than two years have elapsed since the end of that period;
- they are employed by a department as defined in section 2 of the Financial Administration Act;
- they have not provided the CEO with a declaration regarding conflicts of interest; or
- they have not attended an orientation for prospective candidates for election.
Eligible directors are expected to attend the orientation session and to meet any procedural requirements set for the election process.
Note that dual licensees who are both patent agents and trademark agents may be nominated to run in both elections. Ultimately, a licensee can only hold one director position. Those running in both elections must indicate which role they serve in should the election results indicate that they could serve as either a patent agent or trademark agent director. This information will be held confidentially by CPATA.
Elections
Voting
Online voting for the patent agent election opens at 8:00 am ET on Monday May 5, 2025 and closes at 5:00 pm ET on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Pursuant to CPATA’s By-laws and Nominations and Elections Procedures, the singular Trademark Agent candidate will be acclaimed to the position. Therefore, an election will be conducted only for the Patent Agent role.
All patent agent licensees whose licences are not suspended are eligible to vote in the patent agent election. Licensees who are eligible to vote will receive an e-mail from the domain @bigpulse.com when the elections open. Licensees should add this domain to their list of safe senders in advance so that the message does not get filed as junk. Agents must click the unique link in this e-mail to go to the secure voting platform and cast their ballot. Do not forward this e-mail.
If you do not receive the e-mail, experience technical issues voting or have any questions, contact us.
Elections Results
The results will indicate the number of eligible voters for each Director position, the name of the candidate, the number of votes for each candidate, and the names of candidates elected. The mandate of elected licensees will begin at CPATA’s Annual General Meeting on June 4, 2025.
Election Commissioner
Pursuant to CPATA’s By-laws, the Board must appoint an Election Commissioner, on the recommendation of the CEO, to address any issues that arise concerning the election process. The Board appointed Enrico A. Scichilone at its December 5, 2024 meeting, to serve in this role for the 2025 elections.
Questions
For any questions, please contact us.
Meet the Candidates
Patent Agents
Steven Garland
Dennis Haszko
Leonora Hoicka
Jean-Christophe Paquet
Trademark Agents
Scott Jolliffe
Joanne Nardi
Leonora Hoicka
Dennis Haszko
Dear Colleagues,
I am once again running for the patent agent Director role and seek your support.
For just shy of 35 years, I have been working in the field of intellectual property law and continue to actively practice within the Montréal office of FASKEN.
My experience in patents began as a Patent Examiner at the USPTO immediately after obtaining my electrical engineering degree. This was followed by my law degree when I left government in 1995. Since then, I have held a variety of roles in both private practice and in corporate settings. My career in patents has been as rewarding as it has been varied. The details may be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-haszko/ so I will not elaborate further here on my background other than to say that I would not change a thing in my chosen career path to date. Yes, sometimes the path has been circuitous, but through that has come useful insights garnered from each varied step along the way.
I am running for a seat on the Board for several reasons. Foremost is my sincere desire to assist Board members and CPATA personnel based upon my experience gained by hard-earned lessons working in patents in both Canada and the US. I strongly believe that this perspective will be a valuable asset to the Board.
Canadian patent practice can and must improve if Canada’s economy is to prosper. For far too long, our patent system has genuflected to the outcomes from either the USPTO or EPO. This is manifested in the quality of examination by CIPO and the predominance of “associate” work deferring to patent prosecution from other jurisdictions. When both examiners and agents look to foreign decisions for guidance in Canadian prosecution, we must be honest and admit we have an issue. To be candid, I believe that has gone on long enough and must change if our profession is to stand on its own two legs. Too often, global patent filing decisions do not include Canada. While market share from a commercial perspective may be a driving factor in why or why not to patent something in Canada, the underlying fact remains – Canada’s patent system is not at the same level as the EPO or USPTO. Yes, this is obvious, but how we change that is not.
CIPO has commendably continued to improve both its systems and its workforce, but as those who prosecute patents at CIPO know full well, the challenges remain. Likewise, CPATA has come into being to improve the quality of the patent bar, but it is evident that challenges there too remain. CPATA, as the sole entity regulating patent agents in Canada, continues to evolve but needs Board members with strong and varied patent prosecution experience to help make sound decisions.
Like any one person, I do not have all the right answers. However, I feel deeply that my strengths and experiences would provide CPATA with a helpful perspective in its ongoing mission. Accordingly, I request your support in the upcoming Board elections and earnestly solicit your vote.
Should you have any direct questions for me, I would be pleased to hear from you by email to DRH@LettersPatent.com
Cheers,
Dennis R. Haszko, B.Sc.E.E., J.D.
Registered Patent Agent
Jean-Christophe Paquette
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to submit my candidacy for the position of Patent Agent serving on the Board of Directors of the College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents (CPATA) for the term commencing on June 4, 2025. I humbly believe that my profile, marked by varied experiences, dynamism, and a forward-thinking approach, is ideal for this position.
My professional journey in intellectual property began in 2017 at Smart & Biggar, where I had the opportunity to work closely with local and multinational clients on complex mandates, in collaboration with accomplished lawyers and agents. These experiences taught me the most demanding standards of our industry and allowed me to fully understand the issues facing the stakeholders of the intellectual property ecosystem.
I later transitioned to the corporate sphere at BRP, Inc. in Valcourt, Quebec. The Board of Directors would benefit from having an in-house practicioner to better understand and address the intellectual property service needs of Canadian enterprises and the attendant business challenges.
In parallel with my professional commitments, a Master of Business Administration at HEC Montréal further deepened my understanding of strategic and structural challenges faced by organizations. This skill is key for the Board of Directors to strategically guide CPATA’s direction.
I aspire to join the Board of Directors to modernize and make the administration of our profession more efficient. The intellectual property needs of businesses are rapidly becoming more complex for a variety of reasons, such as the rise of artificial intelligence, the increasing relevance of standard-essential patents, the development of cross-licensing networks, and the patent filings growth to name a few. Our profession needs to be responsive to this evolution, otherwise businesses will question the skills of practitioners and the relevance of the patent system in its current form, to the detriment of us all. I am committed to fostering a sustainable system that better meets the needs of the public: this requires a prosperous, avant-garde, and accountable profession.
Thank you for your consideration.
Jean-Christophe Paquette
Philip Swain
I am a patent agent licensed to practice in Canada and the United States. I have over 20 years of experience both in-house and in private practice. Specifically, I was Director of Intellectual Property at a Montreal start-up biotechnology company and have worked both in large Canadian law firms and small Canadian patent agencies.
Regarding patents, I have acted in matters that involved a wide variety of subjects, including chemical processes, electrical, biochemical, pharmaceutical, biotechnological, telecommunications, mining, mechanical and computer/internet subject matter. I have also supported numerous litigation matters related to Notice of Compliance (NOC) and utility patent infringement.
I twice served on the Patent Agents Examination Board and I am a Fellow of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (FIPIC). I am also currently an Executive Board Director at Ballet Ouest de Montreal, a ballet school in Montreal.
I also currently serve on the CPATA’s 2025 PASE 2B (prosecution, validity and infringement) committee. In 2024, I served on the Patent Agent Knowledge Pilot and Professional Foundation Competency Profile committees.
Before becoming a patent agent, I was a medicinal chemist at a start-up biopharmaceutical company in Boston where I invented a number of anti-drug abuse vaccines for which I am listed as an inventor on numerous patents. I was born and educated in the UK, have a BSc Joint Honours degree in chemistry and biochemistry and I have a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in synthetic organic chemistry. I also worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the US during which I co-authored a number of scientific publications.
Given my wealth and variety of experience both as a patent practitioner and serving on numerous IP and non-IP related Boards and Committees, I believe I have the requisite experience to serve the College and the wider IP community. I have a desire to make IP more accessible to the general public and to ensure the highest quality of service is provided to Canadian inventors and inventors from outside Canada looking to invest here. Since I have worked both in-house and in private practice, I bring a unique perspective to the table – both “poacher” and “game keeper” if you will. I believe these qualities are essential for a fuller understanding and use of the IP system to protect Canadian business interests and to ensure innovation flourishes.
Anne-Abigaïl Fils-Aimé
Dear CPATA members,
By the following, I wish to submit my candidacy for a seat on the CPATA Board of Directors. Given my expertise in intellectual property and strategic management, I am convinced that my background could provide a unique and complementary contribution to the governance of your organization.
I am currently an IP portfolio manager, IP strategist, and trademark agent in training. I have over six years of experience in business law, taxation, and intangible asset management, which has enabled me to support entrepreneurs and organizations in optimizing and protecting their IP assets. My work has enabled me not only to deepen my IP skills, but also to develop a strong ability to assess strategic issues and steer large-scale projects.
Alongside my technical expertise, I have acquired solid skills in governance and strategic management. As a current member of the Board of Directors of the Association des Parajuristes du Québec, I actively participate in the development and implementation of strategies to advance the paralegal profession. I recently completed governance training with the Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal (JCCM) through their Réseau Jeunes Administrateur‧trice‧s (Young Administrators Network) program, which enabled me to hone my ability to serve as a rigorous, impactful board member.
It is these skills and this strategic vision that I wish to put to good use as a member of the CPATA’s Board of Directors. If appointed, I am committed to contributing to the CPATA’s mission by strengthening its organizational foundations and providing innovative solutions to current and future challenges. I am convinced that the effective governance of an organization such as the CPATA relies not only on solid technical expertise, but also on a strategic approach that can support both the organization’s growth and its ability to adapt in a constantly changing environment.
I believe that my commitment, my ability to work collaboratively, and my passion for strategic management make me a highly suitable candidate who can readily support the CPATA’s mission and actively contribute to its development.
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to submit my candidacy and remain at your disposal for any further discussion.
Yours sincerely,
Anne-Abigail Fils-Aimé
Dennis Haszko
Dear Colleagues,
I am once again running for the patent agent Director role and seek your support.
For just shy of 35 years, I have been working in the field of intellectual property law and continue to actively practice within the Montréal office of FASKEN.
My experience in patents began as a Patent Examiner at the USPTO immediately after obtaining my electrical engineering degree. This was followed by my law degree when I left government in 1995. Since then, I have held a variety of roles in both private practice and in corporate settings. My career in patents has been as rewarding as it has been varied. The details may be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-haszko/ so I will not elaborate further here on my background other than to say that I would not change a thing in my chosen career path to date. Yes, sometimes the path has been circuitous, but through that has come useful insights garnered from each varied step along the way.
I am running for a seat on the Board for several reasons. Foremost is my sincere desire to assist Board members and CPATA personnel based upon my experience gained by hard-earned lessons working in patents in both Canada and the US. I strongly believe that this perspective will be a valuable asset to the Board.
Canadian patent practice can and must improve if Canada’s economy is to prosper. For far too long, our patent system has genuflected to the outcomes from either the USPTO or EPO. This is manifested in the quality of examination by CIPO and the predominance of “associate” work deferring to patent prosecution from other jurisdictions. When both examiners and agents look to foreign decisions for guidance in Canadian prosecution, we must be honest and admit we have an issue. To be candid, I believe that has gone on long enough and must change if our profession is to stand on its own two legs. Too often, global patent filing decisions do not include Canada. While market share from a commercial perspective may be a driving factor in why or why not to patent something in Canada, the underlying fact remains – Canada’s patent system is not at the same level as the EPO or USPTO. Yes, this is obvious, but how we change that is not.
CIPO has commendably continued to improve both its systems and its workforce, but as those who prosecute patents at CIPO know full well, the challenges remain. Likewise, CPATA has come into being to improve the quality of the patent bar, but it is evident that challenges there too remain. CPATA, as the sole entity regulating patent agents in Canada, continues to evolve but needs Board members with strong and varied patent prosecution experience to help make sound decisions.
Like any one person, I do not have all the right answers. However, I feel deeply that my strengths and experiences would provide CPATA with a helpful perspective in its ongoing mission. Accordingly, I request your support in the upcoming Board elections and earnestly solicit your vote.
Should you have any direct questions for me, I would be pleased to hear from you by email to DRH@LettersPatent.com
Cheers,
Dennis R. Haszko, B.Sc.E.E., J.D.
Registered Patent Agent
Jean-Christophe Paquette
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to submit my candidacy for the position of Patent Agent serving on the Board of Directors of the College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents (CPATA) for the term commencing on June 4, 2025. I humbly believe that my profile, marked by varied experiences, dynamism, and a forward-thinking approach, is ideal for this position.
My professional journey in intellectual property began in 2017 at Smart & Biggar, where I had the opportunity to work closely with local and multinational clients on complex mandates, in collaboration with accomplished lawyers and agents. These experiences taught me the most demanding standards of our industry and allowed me to fully understand the issues facing the stakeholders of the intellectual property ecosystem.
I later transitioned to the corporate sphere at BRP, Inc. in Valcourt, Quebec. The Board of Directors would benefit from having an in-house practicioner to better understand and address the intellectual property service needs of Canadian enterprises and the attendant business challenges.
In parallel with my professional commitments, a Master of Business Administration at HEC Montréal further deepened my understanding of strategic and structural challenges faced by organizations. This skill is key for the Board of Directors to strategically guide CPATA’s direction.
I aspire to join the Board of Directors to modernize and make the administration of our profession more efficient. The intellectual property needs of businesses are rapidly becoming more complex for a variety of reasons, such as the rise of artificial intelligence, the increasing relevance of standard-essential patents, the development of cross-licensing networks, and the patent filings growth to name a few. Our profession needs to be responsive to this evolution, otherwise businesses will question the skills of practitioners and the relevance of the patent system in its current form, to the detriment of us all. I am committed to fostering a sustainable system that better meets the needs of the public: this requires a prosperous, avant-garde, and accountable profession.
Thank you for your consideration.
Jean-Christophe Paquette
Philip Swain
I am a patent agent licensed to practice in Canada and the United States. I have over 20 years of experience both in-house and in private practice. Specifically, I was Director of Intellectual Property at a Montreal start-up biotechnology company and have worked both in large Canadian law firms and small Canadian patent agencies.
Regarding patents, I have acted in matters that involved a wide variety of subjects, including chemical processes, electrical, biochemical, pharmaceutical, biotechnological, telecommunications, mining, mechanical and computer/internet subject matter. I have also supported numerous litigation matters related to Notice of Compliance (NOC) and utility patent infringement.
I twice served on the Patent Agents Examination Board and I am a Fellow of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (FIPIC). I am also currently an Executive Board Director at Ballet Ouest de Montreal, a ballet school in Montreal.
I also currently serve on the CPATA’s 2025 PASE 2B (prosecution, validity and infringement) committee. In 2024, I served on the Patent Agent Knowledge Pilot and Professional Foundation Competency Profile committees.
Before becoming a patent agent, I was a medicinal chemist at a start-up biopharmaceutical company in Boston where I invented a number of anti-drug abuse vaccines for which I am listed as an inventor on numerous patents. I was born and educated in the UK, have a BSc Joint Honours degree in chemistry and biochemistry and I have a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in synthetic organic chemistry. I also worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the US during which I co-authored a number of scientific publications.
Given my wealth and variety of experience both as a patent practitioner and serving on numerous IP and non-IP related Boards and Committees, I believe I have the requisite experience to serve the College and the wider IP community. I have a desire to make IP more accessible to the general public and to ensure the highest quality of service is provided to Canadian inventors and inventors from outside Canada looking to invest here. Since I have worked both in-house and in private practice, I bring a unique perspective to the table – both “poacher” and “game keeper” if you will. I believe these qualities are essential for a fuller understanding and use of the IP system to protect Canadian business interests and to ensure innovation flourishes.
Anne-Abigaïl Fils-Aimé
Dear CPATA members,
By the following, I wish to submit my candidacy for a seat on the CPATA Board of Directors. Given my expertise in intellectual property and strategic management, I am convinced that my background could provide a unique and complementary contribution to the governance of your organization.
I am currently an IP portfolio manager, IP strategist, and trademark agent in training. I have over six years of experience in business law, taxation, and intangible asset management, which has enabled me to support entrepreneurs and organizations in optimizing and protecting their IP assets. My work has enabled me not only to deepen my IP skills, but also to develop a strong ability to assess strategic issues and steer large-scale projects.
Alongside my technical expertise, I have acquired solid skills in governance and strategic management. As a current member of the Board of Directors of the Association des Parajuristes du Québec, I actively participate in the development and implementation of strategies to advance the paralegal profession. I recently completed governance training with the Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal (JCCM) through their Réseau Jeunes Administrateur‧trice‧s (Young Administrators Network) program, which enabled me to hone my ability to serve as a rigorous, impactful board member.
It is these skills and this strategic vision that I wish to put to good use as a member of the CPATA’s Board of Directors. If appointed, I am committed to contributing to the CPATA’s mission by strengthening its organizational foundations and providing innovative solutions to current and future challenges. I am convinced that the effective governance of an organization such as the CPATA relies not only on solid technical expertise, but also on a strategic approach that can support both the organization’s growth and its ability to adapt in a constantly changing environment.
I believe that my commitment, my ability to work collaboratively, and my passion for strategic management make me a highly suitable candidate who can readily support the CPATA’s mission and actively contribute to its development.
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to submit my candidacy and remain at your disposal for any further discussion.
Yours sincerely,
Anne-Abigail Fils-Aimé