Prime Minister Announces Appointment of Mr. Kevin Macleod as Usher of the Black Rod

Ottawa, March 27^th, 2008 - Prime Minister Harper announced today the appointment of Mr. Kevin MacLeod as Usher of the Black Rod.  

“Mr. MacLeod’s wealth of experience in the area of state ceremonial and protocol, as well as his knowledge of Parliament, will enable him to serve with distinction and honour in the Senate of Canada,” said the Prime Minister.

Mr. MacLeod has served thirty-one years in the Public Service of Canada, having spent the last twenty-two years with the Department of Canadian Heritage and most recently holding the position of Chief of Protocol.  He is the recipient of several honours and decorations, including “Commander of the Royal Victorian Order”, presented personally by Her Majesty The Queen in 2005, for service to the Sovereign.

Mr. MacLeod will assume the position on May 26, 2008.

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Kevin S. MacLeod, CVO, CD

A native of Boularderie Island, Nova Scotia, Kevin S. MacLeod received his academic training at Boston University (Boston, Massachusetts) and Carleton University (Ottawa, Ontario), where he received Bachelors (Canadian History) and Masters (International Affairs) degrees.  He also completed French studies at the Université de Dijon (Dijon, France).

Mr. MacLeod has served thirty-one years in the Public Service of Canada, spending the last twenty-two of those years in the Department of Canadian Heritage and most recently occupying the position of Chief of Protocol.  His responsibilities have included a vast array of programmes, including Canada Day, International Conferences, Canadian Symbols Promotion, Lieutenant Governors and State Ceremonial (including royal visits, state funerals and installations of governors general).  He also served as Director of Protocol at the Canada Pavilion, Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany. 

In 1992, Her Majesty The Queen invested Mr. MacLeod as a Member of the Royal Victorian Order for personal service to the Sovereign.  A decade later, she promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant during the highly successful Golden Jubilee Visit and, in 2005, to Commander - the highest level available to Canadians.   He is the only Canadian to have been promoted through all three ranks.

For many years, Mr. MacLeod served as a member of the Air Force Reserve and is the author of A Stone on Their Cairn / Clach air An Càrn  (2007) - a historical novel of the highland Scots of Cape Breton.