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Board of Management - Biographies
Camille Belliveau, CFP, FCGA
Shediac, New Brunswick
Re-appointed: April 2007 for 2 years
Member, Resources Committee
Member, Governance Committee
Member, Board of Management
Nominated by the Province of New Brunswick, Mr. Belliveau is currently serving as the Executive Director of Groupe EPR Canada Group Inc. Previously, Mr. Belliveau served as a principal partner in the Accounting Firm Belliveau Pellerin & Associés/Evancic Perrault Robertson. Mr. Belliveau was a member of the Executive Committee of the national accounting firm Evancic Perrault Robertson. He was also a member of Revenue Canada's Large Business Advisory Committee on tax administration and President of Le Conseil Économique du Nouveau-Brunswick, President of the Shediac Rotary Club, President of the Certified General Accountants Association of New Brunswick, and a Trustee of the Moncton Hospital. From 2001 until 2004 he served as mayor of Shediac, New Brunswick and served as president of l'Association des Municipalités Francophones de N.-B from 2002 to 2004.
Myles Bourke, B.Comm., FCA
Lethbridge, Alberta
Re-appointed: September 2009 for 3 years
Chair, Audit Committee
Member, Board of Management
Nominated by the Province of Alberta, Myles Bourke is a chartered accountant who worked for KPMG and predecessor firms for over 30 years before his retirement in 2001. Mr. Bourke's experience spans a range of functional areas within the assurance field, including audit and review engagements, training and program development, special provider to larger institutions, and confidant and advisor to owner-managers. He recently completed his service as a member of the Not-for-Profit Organizations Advisory Committee of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. From 2004 to 2005, Mr. Bourke held the position of President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta. Since 2004, he has been a member of the Board of Governors of the University of Lethbridge, where he has also been a lecturer and a member of the Senate. Mr. Bourke has served as President of the Rotary Club of Lethbridge and as a Rotary District Committee Chair. He has also served as a Director of the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce and as Chair of the City of Lethbridge's Economic Development Committee. Mr. Bourke holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto, as well as his Chartered Accountant and FCA designations.
Richard Daw, CFP, CMC, FCA
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Appointed: June 2010 for 3 years
Member, Audit Committee
Member, Board of Management
Nominated by the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Richard J. Daw is currently the Executive in Residence at the Faculty of Business Administration of Memorial University. A chartered accountant since 1975, Mr. Daw was a tax partner in the St. John's office of Deloitte & Touche, LLP from 1984 until his retirement in 2008. He is currently an active member of the Government Affairs Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Newfoundland, and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Atlantic Canada. In addition, he is a member of both the Financial Planners Standards Council of Canada and the Institute of Corporate Directors, Atlantic Chapter. Mr. Daw also serves as Vice-Chair on the Board of Directors of the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation. Most recently, he was appointed to Memorial University's Faculty of Business Advisory Board and, in this regard, regularly volunteers as a judge for the Faculty of Business's case competition teams. He has served many public and private sector organizations in tax and consulting, has hosted a radio program on business, has authored a newspaper column on taxes and business and has been a frequent speaker to business groups.
Raymond Desrochers, B.Comm., CA, CFE
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Re-appointed: October 2007 for 3 years
Member, Governance Committee
Member, Board of Management
Nominated by the Province of Manitoba, Mr. Desrochers is currently a partner of the firm BDO CANADA LLP Chartered Accountants & Consultants. Mr. Desrochers obtained his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Manitoba followed by his Chartered Accountant designation in 1980. He has also been a Certified Fraud Examiner for many years. With over 30 years of public practice service, he has specialized experience with institutional auditing, taxation, investigation and forensics, consulting, business planning, projections, and budgeting. Mr. Desrochers provides services in both official languages to many small and medium sized businesses, agricultural businesses, not-for-profit organizations, universities, school divisions, and caisses populaires and credit unions in Winnipeg and throughout the Province of Manitoba. His many community activities include being a financial advisor for the Manitoba Childcare Association. Since 2005, he has been on the Board of the Teachers' Retirement Pension Fund where he serves as Chair of the Audit Committee. He is also a current member of The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Manitoba.
John Firth, BFA, EPC
Whitehorse, Yukon
Appointed: October 2009 for 3 years
Member, Human Resources Committee Member, Board of Management
Nominated by the Yukon Territory, Mr. John Firth is currently a group health benefits and pensions specialist with Roche Firth Financial Services Ltd., a firm he established in 1985. He had previously worked as a personal financial advisor with that firm. He has been a Notary Public in the Yukon since 1985. Since 2000, he has served as Chair of the Yukon Foundation, the largest charitable foundation in the Territory and recently he also became an active member of the Editorial Advisory Board for Up Here Business Magazine. From 2005-2008, Mr. Firth was a member of the Yukon Government's Electronic Health Records Advisory Board and from 1987 to 1999 he served on the Board of Yukon Quest International, an organization that runs a professional international dog sled race between Whitehorse, Yukon and Fairbanks, Alaska. From 1994 to 1996, he also served as Chair of the Board of Yukon Quest International. In addition, Mr. Firth has served as a Board member for the Yukon Sports Federation and was the Founding President of the Yukon Track and Field Association (1984) as well as of the Yukon River Marathon Paddling Association (1999), which runs the longest annual paddling race in the world. In 1999, Mr. Firth was awarded the Government of Yukon's highest civilian award for public service: the Commissioner's Award.
Mr. Firth has been a monthly contributor to the Whitehorse Star as a columnist since 2005 and is also a published author. One of his books, Yukon Quest: The 1000 Mile Dog Sled Race Through the Yukon and Alaska, published in 1998, tells the intimate story of the dog sled race organized and run by Yukon Quest International. Mr. Firth graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (BFA) from the University of British Columbia in 1976.
Gerard J. Fitzpatrick, FCA, TEP
Pleasant Grove, Prince Edward Island
Appointed: September 2009 for 3 years
Member, Audit Committee
Member, Board of Management
Nominated by the province of Prince Edward Island, Mr. Gerard J. Fitzpatrick has more than 30 years of experience in public accounting with 24 years experience specializing in income tax for professionals and owner-managed businesses. He is a past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Prince Edward Island, past Chairperson of the Atlantic School of Chartered Accountancy, and a past Board member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. He is currently a member of the Future Directions Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Prince Edward Island. Mr. Fitzpatrick began his career as founding partner of a firm of Chartered Accountants in 1977. In 2008, he established Fitzpatrick & Company, Prince Edward Island's first father and son firm of Chartered Accountants. Throughout his career, Mr. Fitzpatrick has provided professional services to a diverse clientele and his practice today includes management consulting, business plans and feasibility studies. He is also a regular speaker on farm and other tax matters.
Mr. Fitzpatrick has served on a number of boards as both Director and Chair. From 2002 to 2008, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Pilotage Authority where he served as both Vice-Chair of the Board and Chair of the Audit Committee. Mr. Fitzpatrick received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of PEI, and holds designations as a Chartered Accountant (CA), Fellow of the Order of Chartered Accountants (FCA) and Registered Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP).
Gordon Gillis, B.A., LL.B.
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Re-appointed: March 2009 for 3 years
Chair, Human Resources Committee
Member, Board of Management
Nominated by the Province of Nova Scotia, Gordon Gillis is a lawyer with over 25 years experience in law, labour relations, and public sector governance. His 18 year career at the Deputy Minister level made Mr. Gillis Nova Scotia's longest serving Deputy Minister. During his career with the provincial government, he worked in many different departments and agencies, serving in positions that include the Deputy Attorney General, Deputy Minister of Justice, and Deputy to the Premier/Senior Executive Officer. Mr. Gillis' varied background has helped him develop significant experience in strategic planning, management, and human resources. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Trade Centre Limited -- a leading host organization in the business hospitality and entertainment industry -- and a past Chair of its Executive Committee Responsible for Governance. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation and a member of its Audit Committee. In addition, he is an active volunteer and has served on the executive of several community agencies. Mr. Gillis holds a Bachelor degree in Economics from St. Francis Xavier University, as well as a law degree from Dalhousie Law School. His current legal practice focuses on arbitration, mediation, and alternate dispute strategies. Mr. Gillis is a former member of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society and the Law Society of British Columbia and holds a certificate in mediation from the University of Windsor Law School.
Norman G. Halldorson, B.Comm., CA, FCA
Clavet, Saskatchewan
Appointed: July 2008 for 3 years
Vice-Chair, Audit Committee
Member, Board of Management
Nominated by the Province of Saskatchewan, Norman G. Halldorson has forty years of public practice experience as a chartered accountant with KPMG Enterprise and predecessor firms in Calgary and Saskatoon. Recently retired, Mr. Halldorson served as a partner throughout most of his career as a chartered accountant, specializing in the areas of management, taxation services, and client service. For many years, he was actively involved with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Saskatchewan serving first as a member of the Institute's Public Relations Committee from 1976 to 1978 and then as its Chairman from 1978 to 1980. This was followed by membership on the Professional Conduct Committee of the Institute from 1981 to 1985 where he served variously as both a member and Chairman. From 1989 to 1990, he served on the joint CA/CMA/CGA Committee on the regulation of Public Accounting in Saskatchewan. He was a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation for over 20 years as well as a member of the Saskatoon Estate Planning Council. Mr. Halldorson holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree with Distinction from the University of Saskatchewan and a Chartered Accountant (CA) designation. In 1995, he was awarded a Fellow of the Order of Chartered Accountants (FCA) designation by his peers.
Fauzia Lalani, P.Eng.
Calgary, Alberta
Re-appointed: June 2010 for 3 years
Vice-Chair, Resources Committee
Vice-Chair, Human Resources Committee
Member, Board of Management
Nominated by the federal government, Fauzia Lalani is an award-winning business leader who is currently working as Director Services for Fields Logistics at Suncor Energy Services Inc., assisting multi-national companies in the areas of strategic and business planning. From 2004 to 2007, Ms. Lalani was the Vice-President of National Service Fulfillment at TELUS Corporation, prior to which she served as President and CEO of Aquila Networks Canada, an industry-leading utility provider. Ms. Lalani also spent seven years with TransAlta Corporation, a power generation and wholesale marketing company. During her career with TransAlta, she served as director of several areas, including sales and marketing, deregulation, design engineering and construction, and mass market and retail services. Active in numerous national and community organizations, Ms. Lalani is the Chair of the Aga Khan Economic Planning Board and also serves as a board director with: the Workers' Compensation Board of Alberta (Chair of the Policy Committee); STARS Air Ambulance; and the Calgary YMCA (Chair of the Board Nominating and Governance Committee). Ms. Lalani is a recipient of the 50 Key Women in Energy Award—Leadership Category, and of the Stevie International Business Award—Best Support Team Category. Ms. Lalani earned a Bachelor of Science with Distinction in electrical engineering from the University of Alberta, and she is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario's Western Executive Program.
Susan J. McArthur, B.A., ICD.D
Toronto, Ontario
Appointed: August 2009 for 4 years
Chair, Board of Management
Member, Governance Committee
Member, Audit Committee
Member, Resources Committee
Member, Human Resources Committee
Susan J. McArthur is Managing Director of Jacob & Company Securities, an investment banking firm specializing in renewable energy, oil and gas, mining and infrastructure. She has over 20 years of international and domestic investment banking experience and has advised corporate clients on a broad range of transactions, including acquisitions and divestitures, public and private equity and debt financing, capital restructuring and other strategic initiatives. She has held positions with Rothschild Canada Limited in Toronto, Lazard Freres & Co. in New York and Paris, and The First Boston Corporation in New York.
Ms. McArthur currently sits on the board of directors of First Capital Realty, Luminato, Les Jardins de Métis Inc., and the Canadian Club of Toronto. She has previously served as director on a number of boards including UBS Bank Canada, Orvana Minerals Inc, Bonus Resources Services, and the Toronto International Film Festival. Ms. McArthur has two sons, is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and speaks French fluently.
James R. Nininger, B.Comm., M.B.A., Ph.D.
Ottawa, Ontario(Federal nomination)
Re-appointed: April 2008 for 3 years
Chair, Governance Committee
Member, Human Resources Committee
Member, Board of Management
Nominated by the federal government, Dr. James R. Nininger currently serves on the Board of Directors of Power Corporation of Canada where he chairs the Audit Committee, and is a member of the Compensation Committee. He is also currently Chair of the Board of the Community for Excellence in Health Governance and a director for a number of non‑profit and public sector organizations, including the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, the Ottawa Hospital, and the Community Foundation of Ottawa. His recent board involvements have included Canadian Pacific Railway Company, the National Arts Centre, and the Community Foundation of Canada. From 1978 to 2001, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Conference Board of Canada, one of Canada's leading independent research organizations in the areas of economics, management and public policy. In October 2001, he received the Honorary Associate Award, the Conference Board of Canada's highest honour. Prior to joining the Conference Board, Dr. Nininger was on the faculty of the School of Business at Queen's University. In addition to teaching, he was actively involved in research and consulting. Before joining Queen's University, he taught at the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Nininger is a graduate of three universities. He received a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Ottawa, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario, and a Ph.D. in Industrial Relations from the University of Michigan. In June 1999, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ottawa.
Luce Samoisette, LL.M., MS Taxation, DDN, LL.B.
Sherbrooke, Quebec
Appointed: December 2011 for 3 years
Member, Board of Management
Nominated by the province of Québec, Ms. Luce Samoisette is the President of the Université de Sherbrooke. She holds a Bachelor of Law (Université de Sherbrooke, 1981), a Diploma in Notarial Law (Université de Sherbrooke, 1982), a Masters in Taxation (Université de Sherbrooke, 1985), and a Master of Laws (University of Toronto, 1993).
As a professor of fiscal law at the Faculty of Law at Université de Sherbrooke since 1993, Ms. Samoisette soon became involved in faculty management and then university management. In 1998, she became the Secretary General of the Université de Sherbrooke, and from 2001 to 2007 she was the Assistant President and Vice President (Administration). Since July 2007, she is a professor at the Administration Faculty within the Accounting and Taxation Department.
Being a specialist in fiscal law, Luce Samoisette contributes significantly to the advancement of knowledge in that field. Over the course of her career, she has published many works on personal income tax, tax planning for families and family businesses, estate planning, and trusts. She is also the author of a book on taxation for legal officers and students. In 2010, the Chambre des notaires du Québec recognized her extraordinary contribution to the profession by giving her its medal of honour. That same year, she received an honorary doctorate from the Institut national des sciences appliquées de Lyon for her critical role in the promotion of academic and scientific exchanges between France and Québec. In 2011, she received an honoris causa doctorate from the Université Montpellier 1.
Sylvie Tessier, P.Eng., M.B.A., ICD.D
Toronto, Ontario
Re-appointed: March 2010 for 3 years
Chair, Resources Committee
Member, Board of Management
Nominated by the Province of Ontario, Sylvie Tessier is currently Director of Professional Services at Hewlett-Packard, Software and Solutions, in Mississauga. From 2007 until May 2009 she had been a consulting director with Sierra Systems, one of North America's leading management consulting, solutions delivery, and managed services firms. Ms. Tessier is a seasoned professional with over 25 years' experience in progressively more senior management positions, primarily in the technology sector. From 2004 until November 2006, she served as CIBC vice-president responsible for the Basel II program control office. Before that, she spent two years as CIBC vice-president of online banking for the retail market sector. Before joining CIBC, Ms. Tessier held senior positions at software and information technology companies such as Oracle Canada, Enghouse Systems Limited, AT&T Canada, and Nortel. Ms. Tessier has been involved in numerous community organizations, several of them as a board member. She was a board director for the National Ballet School of Canada, as well as the Chair of its Corporate Committee and a member of its Nominating and Governance Committee. She set up an advisory board for Canada FIRST (promoting science and engineering to high school students) and was a member of the Toronto chapter of Women in Science and Engineering. In addition to her professional engineering designation, Ms. Tessier holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Toronto, as well as Bachelor degrees in both Electrical Engineering and Biology from the University of Ottawa.
Richard (Rick) Thorpe, CMA, FCMA
Penticton, British Columbia
Appointed: December 2011 for 3 years
Member, Board of Management
Nominated by the Province of British Columbia, Rick Thorpe has more than 40 years of experience in the private and public sectors. He was a member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 2009 where he represented the ridings of Okanagan-Penticton and Okanagan-Westside. During his tenure as a member of the Legislative Assembly, he served as Minister of Small Business and Revenue, Minister Responsible for Regulatory Reform, Minister of Provincial Revenue, and Minister of Competition, Science and Enterprise. From 2001 to 2009, Mr. Thorpe served on the British Columbia Treasury Board, including five years as the Deputy Chair.
Before his election to the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Thorpe worked in the Canadian brewing industry for 22 years in a number of senior executive positions in Canada, and internationally. In addition, he was involved in repositioning the British Columbian grape and wine industry and was a partner in an Okanagan winery. Mr. Thorpe currently sits on the board of directors of several non-profit societies, including Penny Lane, Agur Lake Camp and the Heart & Stroke Foundation of British Columbia and Yukon.
Mr. Thorpe is a certified management accountant and in 2007 was awarded the Fellow of the Society of Management Accountants of Canada – the highest honour given to a certified management accountant.
Linda Lizotte-MacPherson, B.Comm.
Commissioner and CEO of the CRA
Appointed: October 2009
Member, Resources Committee
Member, Governance Committee
Member, Human Resources Committee
Member, Board of Management
Mrs. Linda Lizotte-MacPherson was appointed Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Canada Revenue Agency on October 13, 2009.
As Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mrs. Lizotte-MacPherson is responsible for daily operations within the Agency. She is charged with maintaining the trust of Canadians in the Agency's integrity and reliability; identifying and securing new business for the Agency; and engaging clients and stakeholders in delivering results by building coalitions.
Before joining the Agency, she was Senior Associate Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Chief Operating Officer for Service Canada. She was Associate Secretary of the Treasury Board from 2005 to 2008. Mrs. Lizotte-MacPherson is an experienced business leader in both the private and public sectors, and has worked for over 25 years leading complex organizations, launching start-ups and managing large transformation and information technology programs throughout North America.
In the private sector, Mrs. Lizotte-MacPherson was President of two Canadian subsidiaries, Sapient Canada Inc. and AMS Management Systems Canada Inc., and held a number of senior executive positions with Digital Equipment of Canada. She was also the first Chief Executive Officer of the Canada Health Infoway Inc., where she successfully launched the corporation. She also served as the Chief Information Officer for the Government of Canada from 1998 to 2000 as part of an executive interchange.
Mrs. Lizotte-MacPherson holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from Carleton University and has completed Digital's Executive Development Program through Queen's University. She also completed the Board of Directors Program through the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Mrs. Lizotte-MacPherson is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2000 E Commerce Leadership Award, the Distinction Award for Excellence in the Management of Information Technology in the Public Service, the Ottawa-Carleton YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, and was recognized in the 2004 Who's Who Canada and the 1997-98 Who's Who Among Top Executives in North America.
