Archives - Paul Martin

Prime Minister Paul Martin announced today that Her Excellency the Governor General has agreed to summon Roméo Dallaire of Quebec, Jim Cowan of Nova Scotia, Art Eggleton of Ontario, Nancy Ruth of Ontario, Lillian Dyck of Saskatchewan, Robert Peterson of Saskatchewan, Grant Mitchell of Alberta, Elaine McCoy of Alberta and Claudette Tardif of Alberta to the Senate.

March 24, 2005
Ottawa, Ontario

NEWS RELEASE

Prime Minister Paul Martin announced today that Her Excellency the Governor General has agreed to summon Roméo Dallaire of Quebec, Jim Cowan of Nova Scotia, Art Eggleton of Ontario, Nancy Ruth of Ontario, Lillian Dyck of Saskatchewan, Robert Peterson of Saskatchewan, Grant Mitchell of Alberta, Elaine McCoy of Alberta and Claudette Tardif of Alberta to the Senate.

Biographies are attached.


Lieutenant-General Roméo A. Dallaire, O.C., C.M.M., M.S.C, C.D. (Retired)

Lieutenant-General Roméo A. Dallaire was born in Denekamp, Holland and enrolled in the Canadian Army in 1964 after four years in the Cadets and the Reserves Force. He attended Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean, Québec, and graduated with a Bachelor of Sciences from Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. He also attended the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College in Kingston, Ontario, and the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College in Virginia.

He has held various command, staff and training appointments in Canada and Germany, including command of the 5e Régiment d’artillerie légère du Canada, Valcartier, Québec, Director of Land Requirements responsible for all operational equipment requirements for the Canadian Land Force and Director of Artillery.

In 1989, he assumed command of the Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean. After studying at the British Higher Command and Staff Course in 1991, he was appointed Commander 5e Groupe-brigade mécanisé du Canada at Valcartier. In 1993 he took command of the United Nations Observer Mission – Uganda and Rwanda (UNOMUR) and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR). It is for this mission that he was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross.

From September 1994 to October 1995, he was simultaneously Deputy Commander of Land Force Command in St. Hubert, Québec, and Commander of the 1st Canadian Division. In June 1995, he was presented with the Vimy Award by the Conference of Defence Associations. Later that year he assumed command of the Land Force Québec Area.

In January 1996, Lieutenant-General Dallaire was awarded the United States Legion of Merit. Later that year he became Chief of Staff to the Assistant Deputy Minister (Personnel) Group and in 1998 he became Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources-Military).

In 1999, he was appointed to the position of Special Advisor to the Chief of the Defence Staff on Officer Professional Development.

Lieutenant-General Dallaire retired from the Canadian Armed Forces on April 18th, 2000. Since his retirement, he has worked to bring an understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder to the wider Canadian public. He is currently a Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and continues as a special advisor to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) on matters relating to war affected children around the world and to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade on the non-proliferation of small arms.

He has been named Fellow of the Ryerson Polytechnic University and has received Honoria causa doctorates from numerous Canadian universities.

Lieutenant-General Dallaire received the Order of Canada in 2002. His internationally-recognized book “Shake Hands With the Devil – The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda” was awarded the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction in 2004. It has garnered numerous international literary awards, and will be the basis of a full-length feature film due for release in 2006. He was recently presented with the United Nations Association in Canada’s Pearson Peace Medal by Canada’s Governor-General, Adrienne Clarkson.

Lieutenant-General Dallaire is 58 years of age and will be sitting in the Senate as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.


James S. Cowan, Q.C.

Mr. James S. Cowan has made an indelible imprint on the legal, educational and community landscape of Nova Scotia.

Mr. Cowan was educated at Dalhousie University where he obtained his Arts and Law degrees. He then attended the London School of Economics where he was granted a Master of Laws degree in 1966.

Mr. Cowan has practiced law in Halifax since 1967 and is a partner of Stewart McKelvey Stirling Scales, the largest law firm in Atlantic Canada. In 1983 he was appointed Queen’s Counsel. He is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society and the Canadian Council for Public/Private Partnerships.

Since 1972 he has been actively engaged in the life of Dalhousie University and has been a member and chaired a wide array of committees and boards at that institution. Since 2000, he has been Chair of the University’s Board of Governors.

He is also well-known in the field of business and public policy. Mr. Cowan is Secretary and a Director of the Halifax International Airport Authority, former Vice-Chair and Chair of the Planning Committee of the Waterfront Development Corporation Ltd., former director of the Federal Business Development Bank and a Former Director and Trustee of the Institute for Research on Public Policy.

Mr. Cowan is dedicated to his community and has contributed to the improvement of the quality of life of his fellow citizens. He was Director, Chair and Vice-President of both Camp Hill and Abbie J. Lane Hospitals and Vice-Chair of the Metropolitan Mental Health Planning Board. He was also Director of the Nova Scotia Division of the Canadian Cancer Society and a founding director of Landmark East School, a school for children with learning disabilities in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Mr. Cowan is 63 years of age. He and his wife Shelagh have three sons, Robert, David and Peter and a daughter, Suzanne. He will be sitting in the Senate as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.


The Honorable Art Eggleton

Art Eggleton has served in public office at the municipal level at the City of Toronto and in the Canadian House of Commons for over thirty years.

Mr Eggleton was raised and educated in Toronto where he first worked as an accountant before being elected to Toronto City Council in 1969, where he served for twenty-two years on the Executive Committee. Between 1973 and 1980, he was City Budget Chief, the member of council responsible for financial matters and from 1980 to 1991 he was Mayor of Toronto, the longest serving Mayor in the City’s history.

Mr. Eggleton has also served on the Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission, the Board of the Canadian National Exhibition, and several committees and task forces charged with dealing with community issues. In recognition of his service to his city, Mr. Eggleton received Toronto’s highest honor, the Civic Award of Merit, in 1992.

He then brought his considerable talents to Parliament Hill as the Member for York Centre. First elected in 1993, he was soon thereafter appointed to Cabinet where he served as President of the Treasury Board and Minister Responsible for Infrastructure from 1993 to 1996; Minister for International Trade from 1996 to 1997; Minister of National Defence from 1997 to 2002 and Vice-Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Policy from 1997 to 2002.

In his final two years in Parliament (2002-2004) Mr. Eggleton served as the Chair of the Greater Toronto Liberal Caucus; Member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade; and the Chair of the Canada-Israel InterParliamentary Group.

Mr. Eggleton is 61 years of age and will be sitting in the Senate as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.


Nancy Ruth

A native of Toronto, Ms. Ruth holds a Master of Arts degree in the Applied Behavioural Sciences from Whitworth College, was granted a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from York University in 1969 and has obtained a number of diplomas in Theology.

Ms. Ruth has won a series of prestigious awards, both on the national and international scene, obtaining the South African Women for Women Friendship Award in 2004; the Government of Ontario’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Human Rights in 1998; and Membership in the Order of Canada in 1994. She has also received several honorary doctorate degrees from esteemed institutions across Canada.

Throughout her working life, she has played an active role in various religious, professional, political, educational and non-profit organizations in Canada, Britain and the United States. She has also been instrumental in co-founding organizations that work for women’s social change in Canada like LEAF (The Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund), the Canadian Women’s Foundation, www.coolwomen.ca, Toronto’s The Linden School, The Women’s Future Fund and the Charter of Rights Coalition.

She has also sat on the Board of Directors of the Economic Council of Canada, The Canadian Centre for Arms Control, The Canada-USA Fulbright Foundation and the International Institute of Concern for Public Health, among many others.

Ms. Ruth has spoken exhaustively about the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and on a myriad of issues concerning women’s rights, poverty, politics and economics.

Ms. Ruth is 63 years of age and will be sitting in the Senate as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.


Dr. Lillian Eva Dyck (néé Quan)

Dr. Lillian Eva Dyck is well-known as an advocate for women and Aboriginals and is a leading figure and role model in Canada’s scientific community.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Master of Science Degrees in Biochemistry in 1968 and 1970 respectively and obtained a Ph.D. in Biological Psychiatry in 1981, all from the University of Saskatchewan.

Dr. Dyck began her outstanding career in 1967 as an assistant in the University of Saskatchewan’s Biochemistry department. She has since then served as adjunct/associate and full professor in the Psychiatry Department as well as being named graduate co-chair and chair on a number of occasions. She has published numerous articles in the fields of neurochemistry and psychiatry and her research has contributed to developing and patenting new drugs which will be useful in helping to treat diseases such as Parkinson’s, schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s.

She has been recognized in a number of ways, some of which include: A House of Commons Citation as a Role Model for girls in science in March 1997; A National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Science and Technology in March 1999; A Saskatchewan First Nations Women of the Dawn Award in Science and Technology in October 2000; and a Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan in 2005.

Dr. Dyck is currently the Associate Dean, College of Graduate Studies and Research and a Full Professor in the Neuropsychiatry Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, at the University of Saskatchewan.

Dr. Dyck is 59 years of age and has one son. She will be sitting in the Senate as a member of the New Democratic Party of Canada.


Robert W. Peterson

Born in Rose Valley, Saskatchewan, Mr. Robert W. Peterson is widely recognized as one of Saskatchewan’s leading entrepreneurs and community activists.

In 1961, Mr. Peterson received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan and he has been a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Saskatchewan since 1964.

His remarkable professional career began as a Project Engineer and Manager of the Regina operation with B.B. Torchinsky and Associates Ltd. and Western Caissons Ltd., consulting soils engineers and foundation contractors. From 1962 to 1969 Mr. Peterson held several important senior-level and managerial posts in a variety of engineering firms. He was Assistant Manager of Subterranean (Western) Ltd.; Structural Department Head for Underwood McLellan and Associates Ltd.; and Structural and Municipal Department Head for W.L. Wardrop and Associates Ltd. In 1969 he formed Projects Unlimited, a specialized engineering and project management company for residential and industrial land developer clients, as a principal and General Manager. After the successful sale of Projects Unlimited in 1979, Mr. Peterson joined Denro Holdings Ltd., a diversified corporation involved in real-estate development, investor fund management and property management. He was appointed as Vice-President responsible for residential and commercial development projects in 1979 and then named Senior Vice-President in 1992. He became the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer in 1994.

Mr. Peterson’s community activities are extensive. He was the past President of the Regina Jaycees and Director and Secretary-Treasurer of the Regina John Howard Society. He has also been a Director of the Saskatchewan Home Builders Association; Vice-Chair of the Regina Regional Economic Development Authority; and a former member of the City of Regina Planning Commission, among many other notable positions. Moreover, he is a Director of the Cameco Corporation, the world’s largest publicly traded uranium company as a well as a significant supplier of conversion services. The company conducts extensive international mineral exploration in Canada, the United States, Mexico, South America, Australia and Central Asia. Furthermore, Mr. Peterson is also the Director of General Properties Ltd., a publicly traded real estate development and operating company located in Calgary, Alberta.

Mr. Peterson is 67 years of age and is married with three children. He will be sitting in the Senate as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.


Grant Mitchell

Grant Mitchell has long-been recognized as one of Alberta’s foremost political, community and business leaders.

He received a Master of Arts in Political Studies from Queen’s University in 1976 and was granted a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science from the University of Alberta in 1973. He obtained his Certified Financial Analyst designation in 1983.

From 1994 to 1998 Mr. Mitchell was leader of Alberta’s official opposition and leader of the Alberta Liberal Party. Prior to this, he was the official opposition’s House Leader from 1993 to 1994. He was a member of the Alberta Legislative Assembly for the riding of Edmonton McClung and served his constituents with dedication and diligence from 1986 to 1998.

In 1988 and 1989 Mr. Mitchell taught graduate level courses in the field of business-government relations as a sessional lecturer in the Faculty of Management, University of Calgary, and the Faculty of Business, University of Alberta. He has had experience in business as an executive with Principal Group Ltd. from 1979 to 1986. From 1976 to 1979, he worked in the Government of Alberta, first as a Budget Analyst in the Treasury Department and then as Senior Intergovernmental Affairs Officer in the Department of Federal and Intergovernmental Affairs. He worked in Parliament in the Parliamentary Internship program from 1974 to 1975.

He has been an investment advisor with CIBC Wood Gundy since 1998.

Mr. Mitchell currently serves on the Board of the Edmonton ITU World Cup Triathlon and is a member of the Edmonton Police Foundation. For the last year and until his appointment as Senator, he also served on the board of the Canadian Commercial Corporation.

Mr. Mitchell is 53 years of age and is married to Teresa Mitchell, an Edmonton lawyer. They have three sons, Lucas, Liam and Grady. He will be sitting in the senate as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.


Elaine McCoy, Q.C.

Ms. Elaine McCoy is President of the Macleod Institute at the University of Calgary. A lawyer and former Alberta cabinet minister, Ms. McCoy has had over thirty years professional experience in regulation and policy development in both the private and public sectors.

Ms. McCoy has also held several prominent positions of note. These include: Senior Member of the Alberta Ministerial Advisory Committee for Environmental Protection; Governor of the Calgary Centre for Innovative Technology; and Member of the Canadian Evaluation Society and Law Society of Alberta.

She is currently vice-chair of Climate Change Central, a multi-stakeholder organization formed to co-ordinate greenhouse gas emission reductions across the province of Alberta.

Ms. McCoy is also a prime mover in the scientific, business and engineering fields. For example, she has developed an innovative approach for the MD of Bighorn, the Towns of Canmore and Banff and Parks Canada which integrates both ecological and engineering principles into the 30 year, multi-sector Bow Corridor Regional Mobility Strategy and Partnership. Ms. McCoy has also created a model to predict the cost of regulatory delay for Alberta’s environment. She is also a key figure behind NewERA, a strategic energy alliance taking Canada’s alternate energy technologies forward into the twenty-first century. In a recent project, she undertook an important oil and gas impact management strategy on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Among other achievements, Ms. McCoy pioneered and led the Alberta government in the use of business plans; implemented the use of delegated regulatory organizations in Alberta; and chaired the Alberta Aviation Strategy and Action Plan, which aims to increase competition and aviation services in the province. Ms. McCoy practiced law as Senior Legal Counsel with the Alberta Public Utilities Board. She was educated at the University of Alberta.

Ms. McCoy is 59 years of age and will be sitting in the Senate as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

Claudette Tardif

Dr. Claudette Tardif has long been recognized as one of Canada’s foremost advocates and defenders of minority linguistic and cultural rights and for her considerable contribution to both secondary and post-secondary education.

She was educated at the University of Alberta, where she obtained a Bachelor of Education in Secondary Education and a Major in French (First class Honours) in 1968; a Master of Education in Secondary Education Curriculum Studies in 1978; and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration in 1984.

Dr. Tardif began her outstanding professional career in 1968 as a High School Teacher with the Edmonton Catholic Schools. In 1977 she joined the University of Alberta’s teaching ranks as a sessional lecturer at the Faculty of Education and Faculté Saint-Jean, where she eventually served as Dean. Dr. Tardif has also held numerous and important administrative positions at the University of Alberta. Of note, she was Director of the Education Division, Faculté Saint-Jean from 1981 to 1988; Associate Dean from 1991 to 1995; and Dean from 1995 to 2003 as well as a member of the University’s Senate, Academic Priorities Committee, General Faculties Council Executive and Deans’ Council. She is currently the acting Vice-President (External Relations) at the University of Alberta. Her research focuses on immersion education and the role of francophone schooling in the development of cultural identity in a minority rights environment. She is also interested in the overall preservation and state of French second language education in Canada and especially in Alberta. She has also been a strident and engaged member of Alberta’s francophone community and has spoken at length in defence of minority linguistic and cultural rights.

Dr. Tardif has also been awarded a vast array of prizes and honorary distinctions. These include: being named as Alberta’s Centennial Ambassador for 2004-2005; receiving the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003 from the government of Alberta; and being granted the Order of Le Conseil de la vie française en Amérique by Le Conseil de la vie française en Amérique du nord and a recipient of the Prix Maurice-Lavallée from the Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta.

She has also served on the Board of Directors and been a leading member of several key educational, cultural, social, and athletic committees, organizations and conferences both at a national and international level. She was on the organizing committee and keynote speaker for the Conference on the twentieth anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms and was the President of the Francophone Advisory Council for the eighth IAAF 2001 World Championships in Athletics held in Edmonton, among many others.

Dr. Tardif is 57 years of age and will be sitting in the Senate as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.