| New Commissioner
of the Communications Security Establishment Appointed
14 JULY 2006 OTTAWA The Honourable Gordon
O'Connor, Minister of National Defence, today announced
the appointment of the Honourable Charles D. Gonthier,
Q.C., as the new Commissioner of the Communications
Security Establishment (CSE).
"I am pleased to announce Mr. Gonthier¹s
appointment to this important position," said Minister
O'Connor. "As a former Justice of the Québec
Superior Court and the Supreme Court of Canada, Mr.
Gonthier is well qualified to review CSE's activities
to ensure compliance with the law."
Commissioner Gonthier is a counsel in the firm of McCarthy
Tétrault in Montréal. He served on the
Québec Superior Court from 1974 until 1988 when
he was appointed to the Québec Court of Appeal.
The following year, he was appointed a Justice of the
Supreme Court of Canada in which capacity he served
until his retirement in 2003.
He holds a baccalauréat from the University
of Paris and a B.C.L. from McGill University and is
also the recipient of several honorary degrees and titles.
He has served as president or been a member of many
judiciary bodies, including the Junior Bar Section of
the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Institute
for the Administration of Justice, and the Committee
on Discipline of the Bar of Québec.
The Commissioner's mandate is threefold: to review
the activities of the CSE and attest to their compliance
with the laws of Canada; report any instances of non-compliance
to the Minister of National Defence and the Attorney
General of Canada; and investigate any complaint when
he deems it necessary. The Commissioner reports annually
on his findings to the Minister of National Defence,
who in turn submits the report to both houses of Parliament.
To ensure he is able to fulfill his responsibilities,
the Commissioner has access to all documents related
to the operations of the agency, and to the personnel
of CSE.
The appointment is effective August 1,
2006 to July 31, 2009.
- 30 -
Biographies of Commissioner Gonthier are available at
www.mccarthy.ca and www.scc-csc.gc.ca
For further information please contact Jae Malana, Press
Secretary, Office of the Minister of National Defence,
(613) 996-3100
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