March 2020 - Corporate Secretary - Isabelle Daoust

Archived content

This page was proactively published to meet the requirements of the Access to Information Act. It is a historical record which was valid when published, but may now contain information which is out of date.

Biography

  • Joined the Department of National Defense as Corporate Secretary in 2017.
  • Lawyer with 20 years experience in management, policy, and public affairs.
  • Prior experience in the private and charitable sectors.

Mandate

To provide the Minister and Defence Team with corporate services to:

  • Support Minister of National Defence and the Minister of National Defence’s Office
  • Respond to Ministerial correspondence
  • Support Governor in Council appointments
  • Ensure compliance with the Access to Information and Privacy Acts

Key facts

Total Employees: 201

Budget: $15M

Primary Location(s):

  • NDHQ Pearkes
    • Meeting Coordination and Ministerial Briefings
    • Correspondence support to Minister
    • Departmental Assistant and Liaison Office
  • NDHQ Carling
    • Director, Governance and Management Services
    • Director, Strategic Corporate Services
    • Director, Gender, Diversity & Inclusion
    • Director, Access to Information and Privacy

Key Partners

Internal:

  • Minister of National Defence’s Office
  • Deputy Minister’s Office
  • Chief Defence Staff Office
  • Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs)
  • Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy)
  • Strategic Joint Staff
  • Chief of Military Personnel

External: (including other government departments)

  • Privy Council Office
  • Treasury Board Secretariat
  • Office of the Information Commissioner
  • Office of the Privacy Commissioner
  • Women and Gender Equality Canada

Top Issues for the Corporate Secretariat

Continued compliance with the requirements of Bill C-58 (Amendments to the Access to Information Act)

  • New shorter timelines for proactive disclosure
  • New requirements for proactive disclosure of certain documents (e.g. Parliamentary Committee appearances, Question Period notes, Briefing Notes titles)

Governor in Council (GIC) Appointments

  • High volume of appointments (14) to fill in 2020/2021, some of which will require a public process
  • There are a total of 26 Governor in Council appointments in the Defence portfolio

Timely responses to Ministerial correspondence and invitations

  • High volume of correspondence and invitations expected in the first 180 days
  • Review of processes with the Minister of National Defence and their office to ensure timely responses that meet the Minister’s intent

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