Commissioner Frank Iacobucci appoints staff

Ottawa, February 16, 2007 - The Honourable Frank Iacobucci, who has been appointed as Commissioner to conduct the Internal Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Abou-Elmaati and Muayyed Nureddin, is pleased to announce the appointment of certain senior members of the Inquiry's legal and administrative staff.

Mr. John B. Laskin will act as Lead Counsel. Admitted to the Bar in 1979, Mr. Laskin is a senior partner at Torys LLP in Toronto, where he maintains a wide-ranging litigation practice.

Mr. John A. Terry is appointed Co-Lead Counsel. Also a litigation partner at Torys LLP, Mr. Terry’s main areas of practice include international, public and business law. He was called to the Bar in 1991.

Ms. Danielle Barot is appointed Counsel with primary responsibility for managing the Inquiry’s documentary evidence. Ms. Barot is a specialist in criminal law and a partner at Schurman Longo Grenier in Montreal. She was admitted to the Bar in 1971.

Ms. Nicole Viau-Cheney is appointed Director, Finance and Administration. In that capacity, Ms. Viau-Cheney will be responsible for all administrative and financial aspects of the Commission. She brings to the Inquiry the experience of having served with several Commissions of Inquiry over the years.

Ms. Francine Bastien will be responsible for Communications and Media Relations. A native Montrealer and former Radio-Canada/CBC radio and television journalist, Ms. Bastien served in a similar capacity with the Arar Commission.

The Commissioner expects to make further appointments as the work of the Inquiry proceeds.

The Commission expects to convene initial hearings shortly to deal with certain preliminary matters, including applications for participation in the Inquiry.

Established under Part I of the Inquiries Act by the Minister of Public Safety, the Commissioner's mandate is to determine whether the detention of these three individuals in Syria or Egypt resulted from actions of Canadian officials, particularly in relation to the sharing of information with foreign countries; those  actions or the actions of Canadian consular officials were deficient in these cases and whether any mistreatment of these three individuals in Syria or Egypt resulted from deficiencies in the actions of Canadian officials.

Media contact:         

Francine Bastien
613.947.7606
Cell.: 613.299.6554
E-Mail: fbastien@bellnet.ca