Committee Members' Biographies

Honourable John Fraser, PC, OC, OBC, CD, QC
Chair of the Parliamentary Buildings Advisory Council

Marcel Beaudry
Chairman of the National Capital Commission

Mary Anne Griffith
Former Deputy Clerk of the House of Commons

Frank LeBlanc, P.Eng
Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada

Richard Paré
Parliamentary Librarian

Bill Peters
Director General, Canadian Conservation Institute

Honourable William (Bill) Rompkey
P.C. Labrador

Terence Williams
Former Chancellor of the College of Fellows of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada

Sheila-Marie Cook
Council Secretary

Honourable John Fraser, PC, OC, OBC, CD, QC
Chair of the Parliamentary Buildings Advisory Council

Raised in Vancouver, Mr. Fraser has had a lifelong interest in commitment to environmental issues. After graduating in law from the University of British Columbia in 1954, he practised law until his election to the House of Commons in 1972 as the Progressive Conservative Member for Vancouver South. During his 21-year history with the House of Commons (1972 to 1993), Mr. Fraser served in a number of positions which included Minister for the Environment, Minister of Fisheries and Speaker of the House of Commons.

His accomplishments as Speaker included the establishment of the Central and Eastern European Parliamentary Cooperation Program; the creation of the House of Commons Public Information Office; the establishment of the House of Commons Environmental Program, Greening the Hill; and the Task Force on the disabled and Handicapped to ensure access and employment opportunities on Parliament Hill. He also commissioned the publication The House of Commons at Work.

In 1994, Mr. Fraser was appointed Canada's Ambassador for the Environment. In this role, he was responsible for Canadian follow-up to commitments made at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio in 1992 and other related events which included liaison with a variety of international bodies, federal departments, provincial governments, the private sector, academic institutions, community groups and interested individuals.

In September 1998, Mr. Fraser was appointed Chair of the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council (PFRCC). The PFRCC is an independent body that will report annually on the status of British Columbia's salmon stocks, their habitat and related ecosystems. He is also currently Chair of the Minister's Monitoring Committee on Change in the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces.

Mr. Fraser also serves on a wide range of domestic and international bodies including the International Institute for Sustainable Development, the Advisory Committee for Protection of the Seas, and the Kitlope Management Committee. Mr. Fraser is an officer of the Order of Canada (O.C.), a member of the Order of British Columbia (O.B.C.) and holds the Canadian Forces Decoration (C.D.). He is also a Queen's Counsel (Q.C.).

Marcel Beaudry
Chairman of the National Capital Commission

After serving as the Mayor of Hull from 1991 to 1992, Marcel Beaudry was appointed for a period of seven years to the position of Chairman of the National Capital Commission in 1992 and re-appointed for a similar term in September 1999.

In his private career, Mr. Beaudry developed a successful law practice, primarily as a litigation lawyer and as a legal advisor to the City of Hull. He combined his law practice with undertakings in the hotel and restaurant business, residential and commercial construction and real estate development.

In 1988, Mr. Beaudry was selected « Person of the Year » by the Chambre de Commerce et d'industrie de l'Outaouais.

Mr. Beaudry is a graduate of the University of Ottawa and sits on its Board of Governors and on its Audit Committee.

Mary Anne Griffith
Former Deputy Clerk of the House of Commons

Mary Anne Griffith is a consultant and advisor in the areas of Parliamentary procedure and administration. Over the past two years, these activities have involved her with the Northwest Territories Legislature and the Parliamentary Centre among others.

Over the course of twenty-seven years, ending in 1998, Mary Anne served the House of Commons in many senior roles, both procedural and administrative. In 1987 she was appointed the Deputy Clerk and from 1994 until she left in 1998 she was also the chief administrator of the House.

Mary Anne is a graduate of Carleton University and the Advanced Management Program of the Canadian Centre for Management Development.

Frank LeBlanc, P.Eng
Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada

Frank LeBlanc, a professional engineer, is General Manager for the Nova Scotia operations of the SGE Group, one of Atlantic Canada's leading consulting engineering firms.

He is currently serving on the Quality Management Committee of the International Consulting Engineers Federation (FIDIC), the Contracts Committee of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada, the Consulting Practice Committee of the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia and is a Director of the Consulting Engineers of Nova Scotia.

Over a 27-year career with the Canadian-British Consulting Group (CBCL) he held increasingly responsible positions from Design Engineer to Vice-President, Finance and Administration to President and CEO. One of his accomplishments with the Group was to achieve a ranking as a Top 101 Company in Atlantic Canada.

Mr. LeBlanc received his degree in Industrial Engineering in 1970 from the Nova Scotia Technical College.

Richard Paré
Parliamentary Librarian

After serving as Associate Parliamentary Librarian for several years, Mr. Paré was appointed Parliamentary Librarian by the Prime Minister of Canada in 1994. He has extensive experience in librarianship and has developed specific expertise over the past twenty years in library information systems and services.

Mr. Paré is a graduate of Laval University and he has a degree in Library Science from the University of Ottawa. He also undertook an intensive program in management, an Assistant Deputy Minister Orientation Course and the National Defence College XLII Course.

Bill Peters
Director General, Canadian Conservation Institute

Bill Peters is presently Director General of the Canadian Conservation Institute with the Department of Canadian Heritage, managing one of the world's pre-eminent conservation centres which focuses on combining leading-edge research with its widely-acknowledged expertise in the conservation care of heritage artifacts.

As well, he was Director General, Heritage, from 1992 to 1995, responsible for the federal policies and programs supporting the nation's museum and heritage sector, including the management of the sector's grants and contri-butions program. He has served as Director General of Communications with Environment Canada's Parks Service and Director General of Communications with the Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs.

Honourable William (Bill)
Rompkey P.C. Labrador

Senator Rompkey was elected to represent the constituency of Grand Falls, Labrador, in the 1972 General Election, and was re-elected in 1974, 1979, 1980 and 1984. In the 1988 General Election, he was elected to represent the newly-formed riding of Labrador and was re-elected in the 35th General Election held October 25th, 1993.

He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment in 1972, and became the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Manpower and Immigration in 1974. In 1975-76, Mr. Rompkey chaired the House of Commons Standing Committee on Labour, Manpower and Immigration.

On March 3, 1980 he was appointed to the Privy Council as Minister of Revenue, and in 1982 was appointed Minister of Small Business and Tourism. In January 1984 he was named Minister of State for Mines and he became Minister of State for Transport in June of that year.

Mr. Rompkey was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. He is a former Lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Navy (Reserve).

On September 22, 1995, William Rompkey was appointed by Prime Minister Chrétien to the Senate of Canada. He served as Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration from 1997 until February 2001. He is currently represents the Senate on the Parliamentary Buildings Advisory Council.

He was educated at Bishop Field College, St. John's, and Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he received his B.A. in 1957, his Diploma in Education in 1958, and his M.A. in 1962. Subsequently he studied at the University of London, England, where he received the Academic Diploma in Education.

Terence Williams
ormer Chancellor of the College of Fellows of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada

Terence Williams is an architect and the president of The Wade Williams Corporation, Architects. He is a Past President of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. He was Chancellor of the College of Fellows of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada from 1996 to 1999.

After working on projects around the world, Mr. Williams moved to Victoria in 1971 and joined the award-winning architectural firm founded by John Wade. Most recently the firm received recognition and awards for energy efficient, environmentally friendly, low maintenance "Green Buildings."

Sheila-Marie Cook
Council Secretary

Sheila-Marie Cook is the principal of an Alberta consulting firm which specializes in strategic management planning and communications. She has served as a Senior Advisor for a wide range of Royal Commissions, public enquiries and public policy reviews.

Early in her career, Mrs. Cook had the privilege of working as a Legislative Assistant to the late Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau and, in that capacity, worked in both the East Block and Centre Block on Parliament Hill for a number of years.

Mrs. Cook holds degrees in Music, History and Economics. She is currently Council Secretary and Communications Advisor to the Parliamentary Buildings Advisory Council.