Prime Minister announces appointments to the Advisory Council on National Security

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced the appointment of seven new members to the 15-member Advisory Council on National Security (ACNS). The new members are:  Louis Bélanger, Beverly Busson, François Couillard, Anne Joynt, Neil McCrank, Marie C. Rounding and Anju Vermani. The new Chair of the Council will be Norman Inkster, who has served on the ACNS since it was established in 2005.

Seven others members, who were appointed in 2005, have agreed to remain on the ACNS. They are:  Perrin Beatty, David Bercuson, James Bertram, David Charters, John Dalzell, Bud Streeter and Wesley Wark.

“I am pleased that these individuals of such high calibre have accepted this important responsibility,” said the Prime Minister. “Their combined experience in national security, law, defence, emergency management and other related areas provide the expertise we need to address security challenges.”  He also thanked outgoing members for their service over the past two years.

Biographical notes attached.

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Norman Inkster (Chair)

Mr. Inkster is President of INKSTER Incorporated. He was Managing Director of Navigant Consulting and formerly a partner at Gowlings Consulting Incorporated, where his practice focused on advising private sector companies on addressing issues of risk in the aftermath of 9/11. Prior to assuming his current duties, he was an advisor to the Government of Ontario on security matters. An expert in public safety, Mr. Inkster was formerly the President of Interpol and a Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Perrin Beatty

The Honourable Perrin Beatty is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Chair of the Coalition for a Secure and Trade-Efficient Border. From 1999 to 2007, he served as President and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters. He is an expert on both trade and security issues, with extensive experience in both government and the private sector. Mr. Beatty has served Canada in the past in several Cabinet portfolios, including Secretary of State for External Affairs, Minister of National Defence, Minister of National Revenue and Solicitor General.

Louis Bélanger

Dr. Bélanger is Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at Université Laval, Quebec City. From 2000 to 2005, he was the Director of Université Laval’s Quebec Institute for Advanced International Studies (HEI). Professor Bélanger held visiting positions at Duke University (Durham, NC), at SciencePo-Paris (Centre d’études et de recherches internationales), at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in Washington, and, as a Canada-U.S. Fulbright Visiting Scholar, at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (Johns Hopkins University). He is the author of numerous publications on Canadian foreign policy, comparative foreign and trade policy, inter-American cooperation, and the politics of secession.

David Bercuson

Currently Director of the University of Calgary’s Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, Dr. Bercuson is an expert on Canadian foreign and defence issues. He is also Director of Programs of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute and a regular columnist for Legion Magazine. Between 1997 and 2003, Dr. Bercuson was a member of the Minister of National Defence’s Monitoring Committee on Change in the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence.

James Bertram

Director of Public Safety for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Mr. Bertram is an expert on public safety and aviation security issues, and is also Chair of the Canadian Airports Council Security Committee. Between 1988 and 1997,
Mr. Bertram was the Deputy Chief of Police for the Peel Regional Police Force; as part of his larger responsibilities, he coordinated a three-tier government committee to design, build and implement a multi-agency emergency service involving police, fire and ambulance personnel.

Beverly A. Busson

The former Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Ms. Busson enrolled in the RCMP on September 16, 1974, in the first class of women admitted into the RCMP. In her 33 year career at the RCMP, Ms. Busson held various positions. In 2006, Ms. Busson was awarded the Order of British Columbia, the first such honour for a police officer in the Province of British Columbia. Ms. Busson holds an LLB from UBC Law School, as well as an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from University College of the Fraser Valley.

David Charters

Dr. Charters is a professor of Military History at the University of New Brunswick and Senior Fellow of the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society at the University of New Brunswick. He is an expert on defence, national and international security issues, Professor Charters has taught, researched and published extensively in the field of low-intensity conflict studies, with a particular focus on terrorism, intelligence and military operations.

François Couillard

Currently, Mr. Couillard is Deputy Secretary General, Operations, for the Canadian Red Cross Society, where he oversees all Red Cross activities and services throughout Canada and abroad. He is responsible for operational planning, organizing, directing, controlling, budgeting, and evaluation of programs offered by the Canadian Red Cross. Mr. Couillard has more than twenty years of executive experience. He holds an MBA in Marketing and International Business from McGiIll University, as well as a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) from l’Université de Sherbrooke.

John Dalzell

Vice-President, Risk Management, for the Canadian National (CN) Railway Company, Mr. Dalzell is an expert on transportation security and public safety issues. He is also a member of both the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Executive Security Working Group of the American Association of Railroads. Between 1997 and 1999, Mr. Dalzell was Chief of CN Police Department, and from 1990 to 1997, he was Assistant Director of the Montreal Urban Community Police Service.

Anne Joynt

Ms. Joynt is past President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Post Corporation, Canada’s sixth largest company with over 60,000 employees. In this role, she led a multi-disciplinary Executive team in the management and transformation of the Crown Corporation. She has a comprehensive knowledge of national security detection and prevention systems through her involvement in Postal Operations, both national and international. She is Vice-President of Going Consulting, Inc., and a member of the Audit Committee of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI), and is involved in several community activities.

Neil McCrank

Mr. McCrank retired in March 2007, after nine years as Chairman of the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (EUB), and a total of 34 years of public service in Alberta and Ontario. He has served as Special Prosecutor, Assistant Deputy Minister for the Criminal Justice Division, and from 1989 to 1998 he held the position of Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Minister for the Alberta Department of Justice. Mr. McCrank was appointed Chairman of the Alberta EUB in July 1998. As Chairman of the EUB, he was responsible for directing and coordinating the EUB’s regulatory mandate governing energy resource development and utility matters in Alberta.

Marie Rounding

Ms. Rounding serves as Counsel at the Toronto office of Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, where she is a member of the National Energy and Infrastructure Industry Group. She is also a member on the board of directors of both Ontario Power Generation and Nova Scotia Power Inc. She has served in both public and private sectors for more than 25 years and is well-respected in Canada’s energy industry . Ms. Rounding’s background in regulatory and administrative law includes a number of senior positions including Chair and Member of the Ontario Energy Board, President and CEO of the Canadian Gas Association, and Director of the Crown Law Office, Civil Law, at the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.

Bud Streeter

Mr. Streeter is Vice-President and Marine Business Manager for Canada, for Lloyd’s Register North America Inc. Prior to this position, he was the Director General for Marine Safety at Transport Canada. An expert in maritime transportation security, Mr. Streeter has also held senior positions with Marine Atlantic Inc. and with the Canadian Coast Guard.

Anju Virmani

Ms Virmani is the Chief Information Officer for Cargojet, an overnight air cargo service. She has founded successful information technology consulting companies in the United States and Canada and serves on The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Board, and the Trade Committee of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Virmani is involved in community and business organizations in the areas of entrepreneurship, governance and Indo-Canada relationships. Ms. Virmani holds undergraduate degrees in science and education from the University of Delhi, and a Master of Business Administration from the City University of New York. She also received the designation of Charter Director from the Directors College at McMaster University.

Wesley Wark

Dr. Wark is a professor of history and international relations at the University of Toronto and a visiting research professor at the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. An expert in security and intelligence issues, he serves as a frequent writer and commentator on security issues for Canadian and international media. Dr. Wark’s most recent academic publications include an edited volume on the future of intelligence and a special issue of the International Journal devoted to security and terrorism. He is a fellow of the Institute for Research and Public Policy (IRPP) and co-director, with Mel Cappe, of its research project on Security and Democracy. He served two terms as President of the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies (1998-2000 and 2004-2006).