Members of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

The Nuclear Safety and Control Act provides for the appointment of not more than seven Commission members by Order in Council. One member is designated as President and Chief Executive Officer. This office is held by Linda J. Keen.

The current Commission membership is as follows:

Linda J. Keen
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Ottawa, Ontario

Dr. Christopher R. Barnes
Professor, School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia

Dr. James A. Dosman
Director, Institute of Agricultural Rural and Environmental Medicine, University of Saskatchewan

Mr. Alan R. Graham
Rexton, New Brunswick

Mr. André Harvey
Québec, Québec

Dr. J. Moyra J. McDill
Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario

Dr. Jean-Guy Paquet
Chairman, Board of the National Optics Institute
Québec, Québec

Linda J. Keen

Ms. Keen has been President and CEO since January 2001, having been named to the Commission in November 2000.

Linda J. Keen is an Albertan. She received her B.Sc. (honours in chemistry) and M.Sc. (agriculture sciences) from the University of Alberta. After working as a chemist, she has continued her career in three science-related fields: agriculture and agri-food, mining and presently, in the nuclear area. As a certified agrologist, Ms. Keen has worked in the private sector, for the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in West Africa, for the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia and for a British Columbia crown corporation, Expo ’86. Her agriculture work encompassed a variety of roles including scientific research, trade policy and international marketing, cumulating as the director general of strategic planning and coordination for Agriculture and Agri-food Canada. After a period of time at Industry Canada where she spearheaded its approach to Team Canada and developed the Export Source web interface, Ms. Keen was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister of Minerals and Metals at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). In addition to heading the development of the Mining Sustainable Development Policy and the world-renowned CANMET laboratories, she led NRCan’s approaches to international affairs, policy and regulatory development. She was responsible for the regulation of explosives in Canada and participated in the Task Forces on Risk Management and Risk Communications.

Ms. Keen has used her extensive experience in science leadership and management to lead the CNSC into the 21st century with a new approach to modern regulation of the nuclear industry in Canada. As President, she chairs a seven member quasi-judicial administrative tribunal that sets regulatory policy and either makes the licensing decisions or delegates them to the 560 member CNSC staff. With 4,500 licences covering all aspects of the nuclear industry from mining to refining, power and research reactors to clinics and industrial uses, the CNSC provides strong regulatory oversight on behalf of Canadians. The CNSC is also the Canadian agency which implements the measures respecting international control of the development, production, transport and use of nuclear energy and substances. As such, the CNSC is crucial to Canada’s adherence to international agreements respecting the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear explosive devices.

Ms. Keen was Chair of the International Nuclear Regulators Association in 2003. She is currently the President of the Convention on Nuclear Safety, whose Third Review Meeting took place in April 2005 involving international peer review among its 65 signatory countries to ensure worldwide nuclear safety. Ms. Keen was also the Honorary Chair of the 2006 Women in Nuclear Conference held in Canada.

Dr. Christopher R. Barnes

Dr. Christopher Barnes was first appointed a member of the former Atomic Energy Control Board in 1996, and has since been reappointed as a member of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

Dr. Barnes began his geological career with studies in England (B.Sc., University of Birmingham) and Canada (Ph.D., University of Ottawa), followed by a NATO Research Fellowship at the University of Wales. His academic career began at the University of Waterloo in 1965, where he was Chair of Earth Sciences from 1975 to 1981. He held a similar position for six years at Memorial University of Newfoundland where he helped establish and direct the Centre for Earth Resources Research. From 1987 to 1989, he served as Director General of the Sedimentary and Marine Geoscience Branch of the Geological Survey of Canada. He held the position of Director of both the Centre of Earth and Ocean Research and the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria for over a decade. Dr. Barnes is currently the Project Director for NEPTUNE Canada at the University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia.

Dr. Barnes is a former President of the Geological Association of Canada, the Canadian Geoscience Council, and the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada. He has also served as Group Chair for both the Earth Sciences and Interdisciplinary Committees of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. He has been a member of the Science Council of British Columbia and the Canadian Council of the Ocean Drilling Program, and has served on many other boards and councils. For his scientific achievements, Dr. Barnes has been awarded the Past Presidents’ Medal, the Elkanah Billings Medal and the J. Willis Ambrose Medal of the Geological Association Canada, the Bancroft Award of the Royal Society of Canada, and the Queen’s Jubilee Medal. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1982 and was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1996.

 Dr. James A. Dosman

Dr. James A. Dosman has been a member of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission since May 2002.

A native of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Dr. Dosman received a Bachelor of Arts in 1959, a Doctor of Medicine in 1963, and a Master of Arts in 1969, all from the University of Saskatchewan. He is currently the Director of the Institute of Agricultural Rural and Environmental Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Dosman is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. He is an Associate Member of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology. Dr. Dosman’s fields of expertise include respiratory diseases, occupational diseases and agricultural medicine.

Dr. Dosman has chaired or co-chaired five International Symposia on health issues related to agriculture and rural populations. He is a founding chair of the Canadian Coalition for Agriculture Safety and Rural Health (1992); founding organizer of the Canadian Agricultural Safety Program (1994); founding co-chair of the Canadian Rural Health Research Society (2002); and past member of the Governing Council of the Medical Research Council of Canada (1995-2000). He is a current grantee of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in areas related to occupational and environmental exposures.

Dr. Dosman’s honours include receipt of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit (2005), induction into the Canadian Institute of Academic Medicine (2005), receipt of the University of Saskatchewan Award for Distinction in Extension and Public Service (2003), the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities Award for Service to the People of Saskatchewan (2002), a Distinguished Scientist Award from the Medical Research Council of Canada (1998) and numerous fellowships and scholarships in medical research including Research Scholar, Health Canada (1988-1989, 1990-1994), Ferguson Professor of Respiratory Diseases, University of Saskatchewan (1975-1984), Fellow, American College of Chest Physicians (1980) and Lifetime Membership, Saskatchewan Lung Association (1979).

Mr. Alan R. Graham

Mr. Alan R. Graham was first appointed a member of the former Atomic Energy Control Board in 1999, and has since been reappointed a member of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

Mr. Graham is a native of Main River, New Brunswick. He was first elected as a Member of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly in 1967 and served as MLA for the riding of Kent for 31 years until his retirement in 1998. He was Minister of Agriculture from 1987-1991. He was Minister of Natural Resources and Energy from 1991 to 1998 and served on Cabinet committees of Policy and Priorities, Board of Management, and Budget. From 1997-1998, he was Deputy Premier of New Brunswick. During his political career, Mr. Graham served on numerous Legislative Committees. While in opposition, he acted as critic for Agriculture, Natural Resources, Housing, Health, and Alcoholism and Drug Dependency. He was also Liberal Caucus Chairperson and Opposition House Leader. Now self-employed, Mr. Graham resides with his wife, Connie, in Rexton, New Brunswick.

A long-time community activist, Mr. Graham serves on numerous corporate boards at both the local, national and international level. He is a Trustee of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and a member of the Board of the Atlantic Salmon Federation and of the Miramichi Uganda Foundation Inc. He also serves on several boards of family-owned businesses related to lumbering, transportation and export.

Mr. André Harvey

Mr. André Harvey was appointed as member of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on June 2, 2006.

A native of Baie-Saint-Paul, Québec, Mr. Harvey received a B.Sc.A. in Civil Engineering from Université Laval, and an M.Sc.A in Water Management from the University of Waterloo in Ontario. Mr. Harvey was, for eight years, President of the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE), the Québec agency responsible for the public part of the environmental evaluation and assessment process. He held several positions within the Ministère des Richesses naturelles and the Ministère de l’Environnement, including, Director General of the Water Resources, Director General of the Environment and the Economy and Assistant Deputy Minister for Sustainable Development within the Ministère de l’Environnement.

Mr. Harvey has been a member of various organizations related to water and environment management. Notably, he was co-chairman of the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Committee, and under the auspices of the International Joint Commission, he was the Quebec representative on the International St Lawrence River Board of Control and a member of the Conseil d’étude sur le niveau d’eau des Grands Lacs. He was also member of the Board of Directors of Recyc-Québec and Collecte sélective Québec and a member of the Strategic Planning Committee of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.

Mr. Harvey received the 2005 Grand Prix d’excellence from the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec – the highest honour for Québec engineers.

Dr. J. Moyra J. McDill

Dr. J. Moyra J. McDill has been a member of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission since May 2002.

Dr. McDill is a native of Ottawa. She received a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) in 1979, a Master of Materials Engineering in 1980 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering in 1988, all from Carleton University. Dr. McDill is currently Associate Chair, Undergraduate, of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Carleton University, and is also a professor in the department. From January 1 to July 1, 2001, and from January 1 to July 1, 2002, Dr. McDill also held the position of Associate Chair to the National Science and Engineering Research Council/Nortel Joint Chair Ontario for Women in Science and Engineering.

Dr. McDill has made significant contributions to the cause of women in engineering and holds many academic and teaching awards including nomination for the Y-Ottawa Women of Distinction Award (Education) in 2002, and receipt of the Student’s Choice Award, Best Professor, International Students’ Centre in 2001, the National Academy of Engineering, Gallery of Women in Engineering in 2000, and the Carleton University Teaching Achievement Award 1997-1998. Dr. McDill was inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2004.

Her major research contribution, with colleagues, has been the development of special elements and techniques useful in analyzing welds, heat transfer and stress in many manufacturing processes.

Dr. Jean-Guy Paquet

Dr. Jean-Guy Paquet was appointed as member of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on June 2, 2006.

Dr. Paquet is a native of Montmagny, Québec. He received a B.Sc. in Engineering Physics from Université Laval, an M.Sc. in Aeronautics from the École nationale supérieure de l’aéronautique, Paris, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, also from Université Laval. Dr. Paquet is a former Vice-Dean of Science and Engineering, Vice-Rector and Rector at Université Laval.

Dr. Paquet is currently a member of numerous Boards including National Optics Institute (INO), International Development Research Centre, Industrial Alliance, General Insurance Company, Spectra Premium Industries Inc., Group Fontaine Inc, TELUS-QUEBEC Advisory Council, Canadian Advanced Technology Association and Canadian Academy of Engineering. In October 2001, he was appointed as Chairman of the Canadian Space Agency Advisory Council. He is at the origin of the Québec Metro High Tech Park.

Dr. Paquet has received numerous honours, including: Grand Officier de l’Ordre national du Québec (2005), Gold Medal Award from the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (2003); Grand Prix d’Excellence, Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (1998), Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (1978), and Companion of the Order of Canada (1994).

Dr. Paquet is currently Chairman of the Board of the National Optics Institute, a private Research and Development center in Québec City. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and an honorary member of the Corporate Higher Education Forum and the Canadian Engineering Academy. He is the recipient of honorary degrees from McGill University, York University, University of Nova Scotia, University of Sherbrooke and University of Montreal.