Meet the Commissioner and the two Special Advisors

Former Chief Justice Lise T. Maisonneuve is considered a strategic leader in judicial administration with a broad range of experience in administration and judicial and legal ethics and codes of conduct. With twenty years on the bench, she is recognized as an expert in criminal law and an innovator in the justice system and in court modernization with a proven track record for organizational leadership.

In 1989, Lise Maisonneuve received her LL.B. from the University of Ottawa Law School and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1991. Between 2003 and 2023, she served as a puisne judge, a local administrative judge, a regional senior justice, the Associate Chief Justice and the Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice. As Chief Justice, she led the Court through the strategic and operational response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before joining the bench, Lise Maisonneuve was a criminal lawyer. She also served as counsel to the Special Advisory Group on Military Justice and Military Police Investigations Services, Canadian Armed Forces; a member of the Oversight Working Group for the Department of National Defence; an advisor to the Military Police and Investigative Services Reorganization Steering Committee; a special legal advisor to the Military Police Services Review Group; an advisor to the Minister of National Defence’s Monitoring Committee on Change in the Department of National Defence; and a special advisor to the Thomas Review Group. Lise Maisonneuve is a member of the Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Ontario (AJEFO), the National Association of Women and the Law, and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies.

Over the past 20 years, Noni Classen has worked as the Director of Education and Support Services for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. Noni’s formal training as an educator is the foundation for her globally leading work today. Over the past two decades, Noni collaborated with stakeholders and industry experts to develop her understanding of assessment and support for youth with complex trauma. Applying that knowledge, Noni has developed multi system support plans, including child sexual exploitation prevention education programs to increase community capacity in child safeguarding from sexual victimization and technology facilitated sexual violence against children. Noni and her team have used these skills to support Canadian children with immediate short-term intervention services that are integrated with Canada’s tipline Cybertip.ca, while at the same time advocating globally for system-based approaches for safeguarding children within child serving organizations.

Noni provided a leadership role from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection in the creation of child safeguarding standards for sport in Canada, assisted in the development of a trauma informed alternative high school and more recently worked closely with provincial governments to create standards and accountability structures for reporting teacher sexual misconduct and including provincial oversight and public transparency. Noni led the development of training programs to increase awareness about child sexual abuse and exploitation for professionals working with children. The trainings and programs are mandated by a growing number of provincial governments in Canada and as a first of their kind serve as models internationally.

Noni presents internationally on the topic of child sexual victimization and technology facilitated abuse and on best practices to help organizations build capacity to safeguard children. Central to all Noni’s work is her collaboration with survivors to develop the most effective tools and resources; and to assist with advocacy efforts to elevate survivors’ voices and drive political system change to better protect and support victims and survivors of online child exploitation and abuse.

A graduate of Queen’s University (BA, MD), Dr. Pipe was formerly the Chief of the Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. He continues his academic activities at the Institute and is a Full Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. He is the author or co-author of multiple peer reviewed publications and has addressed audiences in over 30 nations. A recipient of the Dr. Harold N. Segall Award of Merit of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, he is frequently consulted on issues surrounding drug use in sport, physical activity and health, and tobacco use and smoking cessation.

Dr. Pipe has been extensively involved in sport throughout his career, serving as Team Physician to four Canadian national teams and as Canada’s Chief Medical Officer at Olympic, Pan American and Commonwealth Games. Dr. Pipe led the development of Canada’s national anti doping agency in 1989–1990 and served as its founding Chair for eight years.

A Past-President of the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine (CASEM), he led the development of the “Diploma in Sport Medicine” examination processes and coordinated their introduction. Dr. Pipe served as President of the Commonwealth Games Association of Canada. He continues to advise several International Sport Federations on matters relating to drug use and other integrity issues in sport and is a Member of the Board of the Athletics Integrity Unit.

Formerly Chair of the Board of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and a Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Queen’s University, Dr. Pipe has received honorary degrees from Queen’s University (LLD), Brock University (DSc) and the University of Guelph (DSc). A member of the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (Builder), Dr. Pipe is the recipient of the International Olympic Committee’s Award for “Sport, Health and Wellbeing,” the Order of Merit of the Commonwealth Games Federation, and the Bryce Taylor Award for Outstanding Volunteer Leadership of Canadian Sport. A recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee Medals, in 2002 he was named to the Order of Canada.