Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
It's a great honour and privilege for me to appear before you today to discuss my qualifications and competencies to perform the important role of Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
I will take this opportunity to thank you for all the work you do as parliamentarians in legislating, deliberating and holding the government to account.
My professional life has been dedicated to the strengthening of Canada's public institutions and to the protection and promotion of the fundamental rights of Canadians.
I have done this for 15 years in the human rights context at the Canadian Human Rights Commission. I have continued this work for the past 7 years in the context of administrative and constitutional law, in my capacity as law clerk and parliamentary counsel of the House of Commons and, if appointed, I would continue do so as Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
Prior to my appointment as law clerk of the House in 2015, I was the Canadian Human Rights Commission’s senior general counsel, responsible for the commission's legal and operational activities pursuant to the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Employment Equity Act, as well as the Access to Information and Privacy Acts.
I was lead counsel for the commission in the landmark first nations child welfare case before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, which led to the largest settlement of its kind in Canadian history. Prior to this, I was lead counsel in the House of Commons v. Vaid case before the Supreme Court of Canada, which remains the leading case on parliamentary privilege in Canadian law today.
In addition to the Vaid case, I have appeared before the Supreme Court on 14 occasions in cases, raising issues such as the separation of powers, the impartiality of tribunals, the accommodation of persons with disabilities, freedom of expression, and the balancing of national security and human rights.
My experience at the commission has a number of direct correlations with the role of Privacy Commissioner. It involved the promotion and protection of fundamental rights, and the investigation of complaints in an expeditious and procedurally fair manner. It required the appropriate balancing of fundamental rights with public interest considerations, and the ability to explain complex concepts in a plain language and accessible manner. It also involved working with the public and private sectors to find constructive solutions, building a culture of rights, considering international norms and comparators, and working with provincial counterparts.
In my current role as the law clerk of the House, I am the chief legal officer of the House and I lead the office responsible for the provision of legal and legislative services to the House and its members.
I have successfully defended the House’s privileges in the Boulerice v. Board of Internal Economy case, and led the legal team representing the Speaker of the House in the context of a judicial review application brought last year with respect to the House’s power to compel the production of documents.
I have been tasked by multiple committees to interpret and apply privacy law principles, most recently in reviewing proposed redactions made to documents that were requested by committees as part of their studies.
I have played a key role in the development of codes and policies to prevent harassment on the Hill and to ensure an inclusive and safe environment for members of Parliament and staff. I was proud to be the House administration's diversity and inclusion champion for the last five years.
Throughout my career, I have always placed the utmost importance on public service and on giving back to my community and my profession.
As such, I have served in various capacities in the Canadian Bar Association, including as president of the constitutional law section and executive board member of the Quebec Branch. I have also served as president of the International Commission of Jurists Canada, an institution that promotes judicial independence in Canada and internationally.
I believe in the importance of education and mentoring, and have been a part-time professor in several law faculties and continue to serve as a judge in the Laskin bilingual administrative law mooting competition.
In all my roles, I have been guided by the values of balance, impartiality, fairness, excellence, the rule of law, the public interest and respect for the democratic and legislative processes. Those are the values that, if appointed, I propose to bring to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
For all these reasons, I believe that I would bring to the role of Privacy Commissioner a vast and unique array of experiences and knowledge, as well as the unwavering belief that Canadians' fundamental privacy rights require strong advocacy, protection, promotion and education on an ongoing basis.
As Privacy Commissioner my vision would be privacy as a fundamental right, privacy in support of the public interest and of Canada's innovation and competitiveness, and privacy as an accelerator of Canadians' trust in their institutions and in the digital economy.
In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Daniel Therrien for his outstanding service and leadership these last 8 years.
I have been impressed with all of the great work done by the OPC team during his mandate and, if appointed, I look forward to working with this dedicated group of committed professionals in protecting and promoting the privacy rights of Canadians.
With that, I would happy to answer your questions.
