PRIME MINISTER WELCOMES NEW PRIVACY COMMISSIONER

November 13, 2003
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien today welcomed Canada's new Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Ms. Jennifer Stoddart, whose appointment was endorsed last week by both houses of Parliament.

"Ms. Stoddart has a great deal of experience in the areas of privacy and human rights and I am very pleased that she has agreed to take on this important role", the Prime Minister said.

Jennifer Stoddart is currently President of the Commission d'accPs B l'information du Québec, a position she has held since July 2000. Prior to that, she served as Vice-President of the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse du Québec. A lawyer and historian, she received a licence in civil law from McGill University and was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1981. She also obtained an M.A. in History from the Université du Québec B Montréal, and pursued doctoral studies at the Université de Paris VII.

The Prime Minister thanked Robert Marleau for having served as Interim Privacy Commissioner for the past five months. "Mr. Marleau is a man of great integrity and excellent judgement. He provided the kind of sound leadership that was needed to rebuild the Commission and restore its credibility."

The Privacy Commissioner is an Officer of Parliament who monitors the federal government's collection, use and disclosure of its clients' and employees' personal information, and its handling of individuals' requests to see their records.

This appointment is effective December 1, 2003.

Biographical information attached.

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Biographical Information

Jennifer Stoddart was appointed by the Quebec National Assembly as President of the Commission d'accPs B l'information du Québec in July 2000.

A lawyer and historian, Jennifer Stoddart received a licence in civil law from McGill University and was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1981. She also obtained an M.A. in History from the Université du Québec B Montréal, and pursued doctoral studies at the Université de Paris VII.

Jennifer Stoddart has held several positions in public administration for the Governments of Quebec and Canada. She was Vice-President of the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse du Québec from 1996 to 2000.

Among her many professional activities, she was President of the Constitutional law and civil liberties section of the Canadian Bar Association, Quebec, from 1998 - 2000. She recently became a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice for the years 2002 to 2004.

She has taught history and legal sciences at the Université du Québec B Montréal and McGill University, and has published several articles on history and law.

Because of her commitment and contributions to public service, she was named one of the Women of Distinction, Public Services Category, by the YWCA of Montreal in May 2002.