Paul D. Faris | President and Legal Counsel
As the oldest in a family of seven children, Paul was homeschooled on his family's farm in St. Thomas, Ontario. Paul went on to study history and political science at the University of Western Ontario before graduating from their law school in 2001. He was called to the bar of the Law Society of Upper Canada (Ontario) in 2002. Following graduation, Paul articled with Lerners LLP and was hired back thereafter to work in their Dispute Resolution Group, Business Law Group, and Commercial Litigation.

In 2003 Paul joined Home School Legal Defence Association of Canada as legal counsel and became executive director in 2005. Since joining HSLDA, Paul has been serving and defending homeschooling families across Canada in the courtroom, in Parliament and provincial legislatures, and in the media. Paul lives in London, Ontario with his wife, Suzanne, also a homeschool graduate.


Brenda Switzer | Member Contact Administrator

Brenda is the mom of her homeschooled son, Michael, who is now married. She taught Michael while traveling in evangelism with her husband, Dale. She continued to homeschool when she and her husband felt the call to pastor a church in the city of London, Ontario.
They served there until Dale passed away after a serious illness. Brenda understands the importance of home education and instilling Godly morals and values into the lives of children.

Brenda has over 30 years experience with office management and working with the public. She is excited about supporting our homeschool families and working at HSLDA.


Bonnie Getty | Member Services Administrator


Bonnie Getty graduated from Fanshawe College in 1989, after which she worked full-time and later part-time in her field of study. She married her husband, John, in 1990. Bonnie chose to stay at home after their second child was born, and when their oldest was five, the couple decided to homeschool.

Since 1988, they have been actively involved in a London homeschool group, where Bonnie has served as Program Director for several years. Bonnie and John have three homeschooled children: Nathaniel, Leanna, and Katherine.


Carole Cardinal | Law Clerk
Back in 1999, when Michel and Carole Cardinal first met Dallas Millar about translating HSLDA's application form into French, they couldn't have guessed how important their involvement would become. Since then, Carole has been rendering HSLDA's services available to Francophones by providing translation services and serving as a liaison for French families in need of HSLDA's expertise.

Carole and Michel also serve on Association of Christian Parent-Educators of Quebec (ACPEQ) Board of Directors. They homeschool their 5 children and live in the Quebec City area.