Margaret Ostrowski was one of seven children in a Polish-Canadian Catholic family. She has an Honours Science Degree from the University of Toronto, a Masters Degree in Social Psychology from the University of Western Ontario, and a Law Degree from the University of British Columbia. She is a retired Registered Psychologist and a retired Lawyer, having practiced law for 35 years in B.C, been elected President of her provincial bar association, and acted as a decision-maker for the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. She received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award for volunteerism and the 2009 YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Business and the Professions. She has written many legal articles and given many presentations. She has travelled to more than 45 countries and has visited Poland three times.