January 10, 2007
No. 4
The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency, today announced the following diplomatic appointment:
Paul-Henri Lapointe becomes Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in Paris, effective
March 26, 2007.
Mr. Lapointe succeeds The Honourable Jocelyne Bourgon, P.C., O.C., who has
represented Canada as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the OECD with
skill, dedication and distinction since July 2003. During her tenure, Ms. Bourgon has
made a significant contribution to various reforms of the OECD. Ms. Bourgon has been
appointed Senior Advisor to the Privy Council Office, also effective March 26, 2007.
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Biographical notes on the appointees are attached.
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Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
Paul-Henri Lapointe (MA [Economics], Université de Montréal (1972), PhD studies [Economics], University of California at Berkeley (1972 to 1975) joined the public service in 1975 with the Treasury Board Secretariat as a program analyst. He moved to the Department of Finance in 1977 as Senior Advisor with the Task Force on the Retirement Income System. He has subsequently served as Senior Economist, Fiscal Policy Division; Group Chief, Long-Range and Structural Analysis Division; Director, Economics Studies and Policy Analysis Division; and General Director, Economic and Fiscal Policy Branch. From 1990 to 1992, Mr. Lapointe also served with the Privy Council Office as Senior Economist, Plans and Priorities. He is currently Assistant Deputy Minister for Economic and Fiscal Policy at the Department of Finance. He and his wife, Lise Boudreault, have a son, Mathieu. Paul-Henri Lapointe succeeds Jocelyne Bourgon.
Jocelyne Bourgon (studies in science and management, Université de Montréal and
University of Ottawa), joined the public service in 1974. From 1975 to 1989, she held
several positions of increasing responsibility within the Department of Fisheries and
Oceans, the Department of Regional Industrial Expansion, and the Federal-Provincial
Relations Office. In 1989, Ms. Bourgon was appointed Deputy Minister of Consumer
and Corporate Affairs, and from 1989 to 1994 served as Secretary to the Cabinet for
the Federal-Provincial Relations Office, President of the Canadian International
Development Agency and Deputy Minister of Transport. In 1994, Ms. Bourgon became
the first woman to be appointed Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet.
She served in these positions, as well as that of Head of the Public Service of Canada,
until 1999. From 1999 to 2003, she was President of the Canadian Centre for
Management Development. Since 2003 she has served as Canada's Ambassador and
Permanent Representative to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development, in Paris. In December 1998, Ms. Bourgon was appointed to the Queen's
Privy Council in recognition of her contribution to Canada, and in 2001 she received the
Order of Canada and the Ordre de la Pléiade. She has received honorary degrees from
the University of Ottawa, Mount St. Vincent University, Queen's University, the
University of Guelph and Carleton University for her contribution to public
administration.
