Who We Are

Peter A. Tinsley
Chair

Mr. Tinsley is a graduate of McMaster University and the University of Windsor Law School. He is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and is thereby licensed to practice law in his native province of Ontario.

Prior to his appointment as Chair of the MPCC, Mr. Tinsley was serving as one of four International Prosecutors appointed by the High Representative in the newly created Special War Crimes Department of the State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Previously, from August 2003 until July 2004, Mr. Tinsley was appointed by the Special Representative of the Secretary General to serve with the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo as the International Prosecutor in the Mitrovica District. Also as part of the ongoing efforts to rebuild the justice system in Kosovo, he served from January until June 2004 as the Chair of the Kosovo Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, an independent body of nationals and internationals responsible for the recruitment and disciplining of new judges and prosecutors.

Prior to his work in Europe, Mr. Tinsley served as the Director of Ontario's Special Investigations Unit. This independent civilian oversight agency was established in 1990 to investigate incidents involving the police resulting in death or serious injury, including sexual assault, and to lay criminal charges where warranted. Mr. Tinsley's specific mandate was to reform and rebuild this historically controversial agency to fulfill its intended role as a mechanism for community confidence. Mr. Tinsley also had a 28-year career in the Canadian Forces, serving overseas and in Canada first as a military police officer and then a lawyer.

Stanley Blythe
Chief of Staff and Special Advisor to the Chair

Mr. Stanley Blythe has been the Chief of Staff and Special Advisor to the Chair of the Military Police Complaints Commission since August 2003. In this capacity, he manages both the Chair's office and the communications function as well as leading a variety of strategic projects for the Commission.

Mr. Blythe is a graduate of the Royal Military College and the University of Alberta Law School. He subsequently completed a Master of Laws degree at the University of Ottawa, focusing on constitutional law and human rights.

Prior to joining the Commission, Mr. Blythe worked as the first Court Martial Administrator for the Canadian Forces, where he managed the office of the Chief Military Judge and convened courts martial.

Before entering the federal Public Service, Mr. Blythe was a member of the Canadian Forces for 31 years, including many years as a naval officer, serving primarily on destroyers on Canada's East coast. As a legal officer in the Forces, he worked in various fields including human rights law and information law.

Mr. Blythe has taught courses and delivered presentations to a variety of institutions and organizations on subjects including ethics, information technology security, employment equity, harassment prevention and criminal law.

Johanne Gauthier
General Counsel and Secretary

Ms. Johanne Gauthier was appointed General Counsel of the Commission in September 2001. Since October 2003, she has been carrying out the duties of General Counsel and Secretary of the Commission. In this dual capacity, she is responsible for legal services, operations, administration, finances, human resources, information management and information technology.

Ms. Gauthier has been a member of the Quebec Bar for 15 years and has significant experience in penal, administrative and constitutional law, as well as in investigations and police ethics.

Before joining the Commission, Ms. Gauthier was a civilian member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, holding various positions with increasing responsibilities, including national Senior Prosecutor and Manager of Internal Affairs for Quebec and Ontario, where she was in charge of internal investigations, public complaints, disciplinary proceedings and labour relations. She supervised a team of more than 30 lawyers, police officers and specialists working in four different cities. Ms. Gauthier has also worked in private practice, for Quebec's Department of Justice, for the federal Department of Justice and for Canada's Commissioner of Official Languages.

She is a member of the Small Agency Administrators' Network and of the Canadian Bar Association, as well as Vice-President of the Canadian Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement.

Key Staff
NOTE: Please do not submit complaints or other confidential information via e-mail, as security cannot be guaranteed.

Position	Name	Phone
Chair	Peter A. Tinsley	(613) 947-5684
Chief of Staff and Special Advisor to the Chair	Stanley J. Blythe	(613) 947-5704
General Counsel and Secretary	Johanne Gauthier	(613) 947-5693

All of the above may also be contacted through the Commission's main numbers: