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Ottawa, March 29, 2001
2001-034

Minister of Finance Announces Appointment of the 2001 National Campaign Chair for New Canada Savings Bonds Payroll Program

Related document :  Biographical Note.

Finance Minister Paul Martin today announced the appointment of Maureen Kempston Darkes, President and General Manager of General Motors of Canada Limited, as 2001 National Campaign Chair for the New Canada Savings Bonds Payroll Program, effective April 1, 2001. Ms. Kempston Darkes becomes the fourth National Campaign Chair and follows Eric P. Newell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Syncrude Canada Ltd., whose term ends March 31, 2001.

The New Canada Savings Bonds Payroll Program is one of the largest automatic savings plans in Canada, enabling Canadians to purchase Canada Savings Bonds through the workplace. About 15,000 employers and approximately 1 million Canadians participate each year. The program is an important component of the Government’s strategy to provide Canadians with greater access to Government of Canada securities, including Canada Savings Bonds.

Ms. Kempston Darkes will work with Jacqueline Orange, President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Investment and Savings, the agency responsible for New Canada Savings Bonds and the Payroll Savings Program, to increase awareness among Canadian business leaders about the importance of saving. Ms. Kempston Darkes will help to develop new relationships with employers across Canada to provide more Canadians with the opportunity to put money aside on a regular basis.

"I welcome the support and commitment of one of Canada's industry leaders in shaping the Payroll Savings Program," said Mr. Martin. "Ms. Kempston Darkes will no doubt build on the impressive results of recent campaigns."

Both Mr. Martin and Ms. Orange applauded the work of Eric Newell as the 2000 National Campaign Chair. "Mr. Newell has done a superb job in promoting the value of saving and the benefits of the Payroll Savings Program," continued Mr. Martin.

"As employers, we have an obligation to empower our employees to prepare for their financial futures," said Ms. Kempston Darkes. "At General Motors of Canada we believe employees should have access to a number of investment choices, including the opportunity to buy Canada Savings Bonds through the Payroll Savings Program. I encourage my colleagues from across Canada to join me in supporting this convenient savings program."

Ms. Kempston Darkes has accepted this voluntary position as 2001 National Campaign Chair for a one-year term from April 1, 2001, to March 31, 2002.

A biographical note is attached.

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Biographical Note

V. Maureen Kempston Darkes, OC

Maureen Kempston Darkes was appointed President and General Manager of General Motors of Canada Limited (GMCL) and Vice President of General Motors Corporation, effective July 1, 1994.

After joining the GMCL Legal Staff in 1975, she became Assistant Counsel in 1979. She served on the General Motors Corporation Legal Staff in Detroit in 1979-1980, and headed the GMCL Tax Staff from 1980-1984. From 1985 to 1987 she worked in the GM Treasurer's Office in New York, and subsequently held the position of Acting Treasurer for GMCL until her appointment as General Director, Public Affairs, for GMCL in April 1987. She was appointed Vice President, Corporate Affairs, in 1991 and was elected to the Board of Directors. In addition to her Corporate Affairs responsibilities, she was appointed General Counsel and Secretary of GMCL in July 1992.

Ms. Kempston Darkes serves on the boards of CAMI Automotive Inc., a joint venture between General Motors of Canada and Suzuki Motor Corporation; CN Rail; Noranda Inc.; and The Thomson Corporation. She is a committee member of the Business Council on National Issues, the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, the Automotive Advisory Committee and the Ontario government’s Education Accountability Board. Ms. Kempston Darkes was appointed by the federal government to the Free Trade Agreement Automotive Select Panel in 1989 and, in 1994, to the Transportation Equipment Sectoral Advisory Group on International Trade.

She also serves on the University of Toronto Arts and Science Advisory Board and the University of Waterloo Board of Governors. She is on the Board of Directors of the Women’s College Hospital Foundation and is Chair for Major Gifts for the Women’s College Hospital fundraising campaign. She is a patron of New Directions, a volunteer-based, non-profit charitable community agency, and a member of the Council of Advisory Governors for the YMCA of Greater Toronto. In 1998 she accepted the position of co-chair of the BC Cancer Foundation’s Millennium Campaign, focused on genome science and research into finding cures for and treatment of cancer.

Ms. Kempston Darkes was born and raised in the Toronto area. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science from Victoria College, University of Toronto, and is a member of Victoria College’s Chancellor’s Council. She also holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Toronto Law School and is called to the Bar of Ontario.

She has received Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the University of Toronto, University of Victoria, McMaster University, Dalhousie University, Wilfrid Laurier University and the Law Society of Upper Canada, as well as an Honorary Doctor of Commerce degree from Saint Mary’s University.

In 1997 Ms. Kempston Darkes received The Order of Ontario. She is also a recipient of the Canadian Business Leader Award from the Faculty of Business, University of Alberta, and the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award from the American Bar Association. Ms. Kempston Darkes was appointed to the Women’s Health Council, an advisory group established to counsel the Ontario Minister of Health on matters relating to women’s health and ensure that the health care system is responsive to the needs of women. In February 1999 she received the Distinguished Service Citation from the Automotive Hall of Fame.

Ms. Kempston Darkes was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada in January 2000. In May 2000 the Premier of Ontario appointed her as a member of the Advisory Council to The Order of Ontario.

She and her husband Larry, a lawyer, live in Toronto.