Backgrounder: Public Sector Pension Investment
Board
Biographical notes
OTTAWA - The Honourable John Baird, President of the Treasury Board, is pleased to announce the appointment of eight new members to the Public Service Pension Advisory Committee (PSPAC). These new members bring to PSPAC a range of experience and knowledge:
Mr. José Aggrey
Mr. Jean-Claude Bouchard
Mr. John Knubley
Ms. Yazmine Laroche
Mr. Arjun Patil
Ms. Basia Ruta
Mr. Jean-Guy Soulière
Mr. Michael Wolfson
The Pension Advisory Committee is comprised of 13 members appointed by the Governor in Council for a term of three years with possibility of renewal. These positions are unpaid.
The Committee's mandate is to review the administration, benefit design and funding of the Public Service Pension Plan and to make recommendations to the President. The Committee is an important forum to seek input on plan members' and pensioners' views regarding their pension plan.
Six of the members represent the executive side of the public service, typically from the Assistant Deputy Minister cadre, and are nominated by the President of the Treasury Board;
Six other members representing employees are nominated by the staff side of the National Joint Council; and,
One member is nominated to represent pensioners by an association that, in the opinion of the Minister, represents public service pensioners.
Biographical notes are attached.
Backgrounder:
Legislative Mandate
In September 1999, amendments were made to the Public Service Superannuation Act to create the Public Service Pension Advisory Committee (PSPAC). The Committee's mandate is to review matters respecting the administration, benefit design and funding under the Public Service Pension Plan and to make recommendations to the President about these matters. In this role, the Committee is an important forum to seek input on plan members' and pensioners' views regarding their pension plan.
Membership
The membership of the Advisory Committee is comprised of 13 members appointed by the Governor in Council for a term of three years with possibility of renewal:
Six of the members represent the executive side of the public service, typically from the Assistant Deputy Minister cadre, and are nominated by the President of the Treasury Board;
Six other members representing employees are nominated by the staff side of the National Joint Council; and,
One member is nominated to represent pensioners by an association that, in the opinion of the Minister, represents public service pensioners.
It should be noted that there is no remuneration for members appointed to the PSPAC.
Criteria
The main criteria identified for appointing members to this committee are judgement, motivation, background and time availability. Gender balance, linguistic profiles, employment status (active versus retired), age, regional representation, an expertise in either policy or program management and the time commitment are also major considerations when selecting members to the Advisory Committee.
Meetings
The PSPAC meets four times a year. One of these meetings is a 2-day policy retreat that focuses on the committee's Forward Agenda for the coming year. The PSPAC and the other two advisory committees (the RCMP Pension Advisory Committee and the Canadian Forces Advisory Committee) are required to meet annually with the Public Sector Pension Investment Board to discuss the Board's most recent annual report including its investment returns or the performance of its current investment policy.
Biographical notes
José Aggrey
President, Canadian Association of Professional Employees
Curriculum vitae
Mr. José Aggrey joined the Public Service of Canada in 1980 and he has held positions with the Library of Parliament, the then
Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, the then Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs, the then Department of National Health and
Welfare, Revenue Canada, and more recently, Health Canada.
Mr. Aggrey is the President of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees and prior to his election as president he served for
four years as the Vice-President of the Association (Social Sciences Employees Association and CAPE), and over 14 years as a member of the
National Executive Committee.
Over the last twenty years Mr. Aggrey has been actively involved as a volunteer in many Ottawa based community organizations such as, the
Youth Employment Assistance Program, City of Ottawa Advisory Committee on Visible Minorities, and the Ottawa-Carleton Immigrants Services
Organization. He is the founder and first president of New Vision Canada, a non-partisan political organization for promoting and
encouraging the participation of visible minorities in the Canadian political process. Mr. Aggrey is currently the president of the
Ghanaian Association of Ottawa.
Mr. Aggrey graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Masters in Economics, a Graduate Diploma in International Development, and a
Bachelor of Science in Biology.
Jean-Claude Bouchard
President, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
Curriculum vitae
Mr. Jean-Claude Bouchard joined the Government of Canada in 1971.
From 1993 to 1997, Mr. Bouchard occupied various key senior-level positions, such as Deputy Secretary, Human Resources Branch, Treasury Board
Secretariat and Assistant Deputy Minister, Human Resources Services, Department of Human Resources Development Canada. In this capacity, he
has lead key files in this area which have significantly changed the management of human resources within the Public Service of Canada.
From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Bouchard joined the private sector as Vice-President, Group Insurance, Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association.
During that period, he acquired significant experience and knowledge of the financial services sector in Canada. He has also been
actively involved in various Boards, such as the Civil Service Co operative Credit Union Society Ltd. and is presently Governor for the
Community Foundation of Ottawa.
Mr. Bouchard re-entered the Public Service of Canada on May 29, 2000 and was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations Sector at
Industry Canada. In this capacity, he led efforts to stimulate a competitive and innovative private sector in Canada and to promote
confidence in a fair and efficient Canadian marketplace.
From September 2002 to March 2005, Mr. Bouchard was Associate Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. As Associate DM, he was
responsible for managing all aspects of the department in co-operation with the Deputy Minister in addition to providing leadership on the
international fisheries governance file. He also had direct responsibility for the Audit and Evaluation Directorate and the Centre for
Values, Integrity and Conflict Resolution.
On March 14, 2005, Mr. Bouchard was appointed President of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. As President, Mr. Bouchard is
responsible for leading the agency in its role to provide Canadians with high-quality environmental assessments that contribute to informed
decision making, in support of sustainable development.
Mr. Bouchard studied at the University of Montreal and obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1969.
John Knubley
ASSOCIATE DEPUTY MINISTER, NATURAL RESOURCES CANADA
Curriculum vitae
Mr. John Knubley began his career in the Public Service of Canada with the Economic Council of Canada in 1980. In 1985, he moved to
the Federal-Provincial Relations Office as a Policy Analyst in the Economic Policy and Liaison Secretariat. In 1990, he was appointed
Director of Research at Industry Canada (previously known as Investment Canada).
Mr. Knubley joined the Privy Council in 1994 as Director of Operations, Intergovernmental Affairs. In 1996, he moved to Human Resources
Development Canada holding various executive positions culminating in his appointment as Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Affairs and
Planning in 2000. In April 2002, Mr. Knubley was appointed Vice-President (Nova Scotia) with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
He was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada, effective September 5, 2006.
Mr. Knubley obtained his B.A. at Yale University in 1974 and his Master of Arts at Oxford University in 1977. He has also obtained a
post-graduate diploma from the Institut Européen des Hautes Études Internationales in 1978 in Nice, France as well as a Master's degree in
Public Administration at Harvard University from the Kennedy School of Government in 1985.
Yazmine Laroche
Assistant Deputy Minister, Cities and Communities, Infrastructure Canada
Curriculum vitae
Ms. Yasmine Laroche has over twenty years experience in public policy, program design, communications, strategic planning and corporate
management, having served for a wide range of federal government departments. Ms. Laroche began her public service career in 1983 as a
communications officer with Transport Canada. She was Chief of Staff for the Department of Communications in 1989 where she was responsible
for the operational management of the Cultural Affairs Sector. In 1993, Ms. Laroche was appointed Director of Government Business for the
Department of Canadian Heritage. She moved to the Canada Information Office in 1996 to assume the position of Director General, Strategic
Planning, Policy and Evaluation. In 1999, Mme Laroche moved to the Department of Canadian Heritage where she was the Executive Director,
Portfolio Affairs. She was promoted to the position of Assistant Deputy Minister the following year. In 2004, Ms. Laroche joined the
Privy Council Office to develop the Government of Canada's New Deal for Cities. She is currently the Assistant Deputy Minister, Cities
and Communities, for Infrastructure Canada.
Ms. Laroche graduated from Carleton University in 1982 with a BA in Mass Communications. She was the co-founder of the Disabled
Women's Network of Ottawa . She was the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Employment Equity (persons with disabilities) to the Secretary
of the Treasury Board from 1992-1993. More recently, Ms. Laroche chaired the Action-Research Roundtable on
Workplace Well-being, Canadian Centre for Management Development in 2001-02. As well, she was co-chair of the ADM Forum from 2002-2004.
Arjun Patil
VICE-PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATION OF CANADIAN FINANCIAL OFFICERS
Curriculum vitae
Mr. Arjun Patil joined the Public Service of Canada in1980 and has held positions with the then Department of Supply and Services and the
Senate of Canada. He is presently employed as a Senior Financial Advisor with the Department of Justice.
Mr. Patil has been Vice-President, Finance, Planning and Treasury for the Association of Canadian Financial Officers (ACFO) since 2005.
He was a Director of the Board of the Association of Canadian Financial Officers from 1999 to 2001. Mr. Patil was also a member of the
ACFO Bargaining Committee and ACFO Negotiation Team.
Mr. Patil graduated from the Shivaji University, India, with a Masters Degree in Science. He also received a Masters Degree from the
University of Western Ontario, a Masters in Business Administration from Windsor and a CMA from Ontario.
Mr. Patil is a Sessional Professor for the University of Ottawa as well as a Director of Public Relations and Cultural Programs for the
India-Canada Association.
Basia Ruta
ASSISTANT DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE AND CORPORATE BRANCH FOR ENVIRONMENT CANADA
Curriculum vitae
In January 2006, Basia Ruta assumed the position of Assistant Deputy Minister of Finance and Corporate Branch for Environment Canada. As
part of her role, she is Environment Canada's (EC) Chief Financial Officer and the single point of accountability for the financial management
of the department ─ an over billion dollar a year funded organization. In addition, she is responsible for leading EC's
participation in the Government of Canada's Corporate Administration Shared Systems Initiative, ensuring proper stewardship over assets,
contracting and EC's environmental management as well as for programs and processes supporting the department's governance, values and ethics
regimes.
Ms. Ruta's career spans both the private and public sectors. She joined Ernst & Young (then Clarkson Gordon) in 1980 and practiced
public accountancy in Ottawa, obtaining her CA designation in 1983.
In 1984, she joined the Office of the Auditor General where she achieved the position as Senior Principal, Audit Operations. During her
last ten years with that Office, Basia led a number of audits with reports tabled in Parliament addressing public accounts, financial risk
management, governance and alternative delivery regimes at Revenue Canada and Transport Canada.
In 2000, she became Director General, Corporate Planning, Governance and Balanced Scorecard with the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency.
There she was recognized for demonstrating exceptional leadership in helping to engender added robustness in the Agency's corporate governance
and accountability structures.
In the spring of 2003, she became Acting Deputy Assistant Commissioner with the Customs Branch of CCRA where, among other achievements, Ms.
Ruta led and successfully concluded a comprehensive operational review to overhaul Customs' $35 million-a-year Trade Compliance
Verification program. In addition, she oversaw a broad spectrum of border/trade operations, which also included leading key components of
the transition to the new Border Services Agency.
In the summer of 2004, prior to joining the Treasury Board Secretariat-Office of the Comptroller General, she successfully led a key component
of a Special Expenditure Review Committee Project at the Privy Council Office that looked at minimizing related workforce adjustment effects.
Her recommendations were well received by decision makers.
Ms. Ruta was appointed Assistant Comptroller General in December 2004. Among her key achievements was developing a new policy on
Internal Audit that is viewed as transforming internal audit across government, and leading edge for governments world-wide.
Ms. Ruta obtained a B.Com., Honours (Spec. Accounting) from the University of Ottawa. She is also a member of the Ontario Institute of
Chartered Accountants, and has over 26 years of notable business experience in both the private and the public sectors.
Jean-Guy Soulière
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
FEDERAL SUPERANNUATES NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Curriculum vitae
Mr. Jean-Guy Soulière began his career in the federal government in 1965 with Consumer and Corporate Affairs and the Department of the
Secretary of State. In 1970, Mr. Soulière entered the Career Assignment Program as Chief of Personnel Research and Systems, Taxation
Canada. His second assignment under this program came in 1972 when he was assigned the Chief position in Interagency Relations at the
Unemployment Insurance Commission. In 1974, Mr. Soulière accepted the position of Director General of Civilian Personnel at the Department
of National Defence. He returned to Consumer and Corporate Affairs Canada in 1980 as Director of Personnel. From 1983 to 1988, he was
Director General of Regional Operations at the Public Service Commission of Canada. In 1988, he accepted a position as Director General of
the Human Resources Branch at Agriculture Canada. Under an Interchange Canada Assignment, he accepted a position as Senior Management
Consultant at the National Research Council from 1990 to 1992. Mr. Soulière completed his Public Service career as Director General of the
Human Resources Branch at Labour Canada in 1994. Mr. Soulière has been in his current position with the Federal Superannuates National
Association as their Executive Director since 1994. Mr. Soulière holds a Bachelor's degree.
MICHAEL WOLFSON
ASSISTANT CHIEF STATISTICIAN, STATISTICS CANADA
Curriculum vitae
Dr. Wolfson began his career in the Public Service of Canada as a part time Consultant for Statistics Canada in January 1973 while
working on his Ph. D thesis. In July of the following year he joined the public service on a permanent basis as a Senior Policy Analyst for
the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS). One of his main tasks was developing a model and associated policy analysis of guaranteed annual
income options for the government's Orange Paper and the Federal-Provincial Social Security Review. In 1977 Dr. Wolfson joined the
Department of Finance where he was initially seconded to work on an inter-departmental Task Force on Tax-Transfer Integration (which laid the
groundwork for the Child Tax Credit in 1978), and subsequently the Pension Policy Task Force. Then, from 1978 to 1982, Dr. Wolfson was a
Senior Tax Policy Officer for the Department of Finance, including responsibility for tax policy regarding RRSPs and pension plans. In
1982, he was seconded to the Privy Council Office to work on the government's pension reform Green Paper. In 1983 Dr. Wolfson was the
research associate for the Special Parliamentary Task Force on Pension Reform for the House of Commons. In January 1984 he became the
Assistant Director, Income Security, for the Ministry of State for Social Development. Later that year, Dr. Wolfson accepted a new job at
Statistics Canada as a Director of the Social and Economic Studies Division. Shortly after his arrival, though, he was seconded to the
Deputy Prime Minister's Office to work on the Nielsen Task Force on Program Review from the Fall of 1984 through 1985. Since his return
to Statistics Canada at the beginning of 1986, Dr. Wolfson has held positions of increasing responsibility, and has been Assistant Chief
Statistician, Analysis and Development, since 2000.
Dr. Wolfson has been a member of a number of Committees, Task Forces, and programs outside the Federal Public Service during his career,
including the Ontario Task Force on Inflation Protection for Employment Pension Plans for the Government of Ontario in 1987; the Hospital
Management Research Unit External Advisory Council, a joint initiative of the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and Sunnybrook Medical
Centre in Toronto from 1990-1993; the Research Advisory Committee of the newly formed Ontario Workers' Compensation Institute, Toronto from
1990-1995; a Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR) program on Population Health from 1987 2003, an Associate Fellow
of the CIAR's program in Economic Growth from 1991 to 1996, and a member of the CIAR's Research Council from 1999 to 2003, and various
advisory committees to the Conference of Deputy Ministers of Health.
Dr. Wolfson obtained his Ph.D. in Economics at Cambridge University, Cambridge England in 1977. He previously graduated in 1971 from the
University of Toronto with Honours B.Sc. in Mathematics, Computer Science and Economics.
He has authored quite a number of publications including in international peer-reviewed journals on topics related to economics, pensions and
health, among others.
