Donald Payne was born in Niagara Falls and brought up in Goderich,Ontario. He obtained his Medical Degree from the University of Toronto in 1963 and ran his general practice in rural Newfoundland between the years of 1965-1967.  Dr. Payne specialized in psychiatry in 1971 and ran a private practice.
In 1979, Dr. Payne commenced psychiatric examinations of torture victims, initially through Amnesty International. Since then he has examined more than 1,500 victims of torture or war. In 1982, Dr. Payne took up the post of the National Coordinator of the Health Network of Amnesty International Canada, and is still on board.
Dr. Payne was a Member of the Board of CCVT from 1987-1991 and again from 2002-2008. He was also the Canadian representative on the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) from 2003-2006.
Dr. Payne testified to the USA Congressional Human Rights Caucus in 1988 on examination of Somali torture victims in relation to attempts to stop USA providing arms to the Somali government. Additionally, he testified on the psychological effects of torture to the Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar in June, 2005

Dr. Donald Payne was awarded the YMCA Canada Peace Medal in 2001.

Debbie Douglas has worked tirelessly since her high school days to improve the lives of women and girls. As the Executive Director of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), Ontario's preeminent umbrella advocacy organization for immigrant serving agencies, Debbie Douglas has taken her lifelong interest in race relations and social justice to new levels.
Active at local, provincial and federal levels, Ms. Douglas has distinguished herself as an advanced thinker with a keen eye for the reality of life in Canada for recent immigrants and refugees. Focused on justice issues such as disproportionate rates of poverty among people of racialized origin, particularly women and their children, as well as barriers to accessing the labour market, and the plight of immigrants and refugees without resident status, Debbie has had her work cut out for her. By all accounts she has more than risen to the challenge.
Her commitment to equity and social justice for refugees has been expressed through her work on numerous boards and working groups, including her leadership as Co-Chair of the National Immigrant and Settlement Working Group at the Canadian Council for Refugees, and as a passionate speaker on refugee rights at events such as the annual Toronto commemoration of Refugee Rights Day and refugee-focused activities organized in communities across Ontario. Debbie has also played an important role in the development of Shirley Samaroo House, a shelter geared specifically to the needs of immigrant and refugee women who have experienced violence, and continues to act as a mentor and champion for new and emerging groups from refugee communities.