Task Force Members

Lori Assheton-Smith, Senior Vice-President and General Counsel, Canadian Cable Television Association

Michael Binder, Assistant Deputy Minister, Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications, Industry Canada

Tom Copeland, President, Canadian Association of Internet Providers

Bernard Courtois, President, Information Technology Association of Canada

Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law, University of Ottawa

Amanda Maltby, Senior Vice-President, Canadian Marketing Association

Suzanne Morin, Assistant General Counsel, Bell Canada, and Internet Law Policy Forum

Geneviève Reed, Head of Research and Representation, Option consommateurs

Neil Schwartzman, President, Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email Canada

Roger Tassé, Partner, Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP

Biographies

Lori Assheton-Smith
Senior Vice-President and General Counsel,
Canadian Cable Television Association

Lori Assheton-Smith is Senior Vice-President and General Counsel at the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA). She is responsible for a wide variety of legal and regulatory matters relating to broadcasting, telecommunications and the Internet. Prior to joining the CCTA, Ms. Assheton-Smith practiced in the legal directorate at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, where she was counsel on a number of major broadcasting and telecommunications proceedings. In addition, she is a member of the Steering Committee of the National Capital Association of Communications Lawyers and serves on the Board of Directors of Canadian Women in Communications.

Michael Binder (Chair)
Assistant Deputy Minister,
Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications, Industry Canada

Michael Binder is the Assistant Deputy Minister of Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications at Industry Canada. He is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the federal government's Connectedness Agenda, which commits to connecting all Canadians to an accessible and affordable high-speed Information Highway (broadband).

He is also in charge of telecommunications and electronic commerce policies, the allocation of spectrum licensing of the wireless industries, and the promotion of growth and international competitiveness of the information and communications technologies industries.

Mr. Binder holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Alberta.

Tom Copeland
President,
Canadian Association of Internet Providers

Tom Copeland is the President of the Canadian Association of Internet Providers, and has long been a prominent advocate of information technology in Canada. He has served on the working group of the National Broadband Task Force and is a founding member of the first Industry Canada-sponsored Community Access Program site in Northumberland. In 2001, he was recognized by the Information Technology Association of Canada and Industry Canada as a Community IT Hero for his work in promoting the use of information technology in the communities of Northumberland. In 2002, Mr. Copeland was named Cobourg's Business Person of the Year. He is frequently asked by industry and consumer groups to consult about Internet safety and business practices on the Internet.

Bernard Courtois
President,
Information Technology Association of Canada

Mr. Courtois was named President of the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) in January 2004, and has served on the ITAC Board of Directors since 1999. He is a lawyer with over 30 years of experience in the telecommunications sector. He served in a variety of regulatory, legal and executive roles with Bell Canada from 1991 to 2003. Prior to joining Bell Canada, Mr. Courtois practiced law in Montréal and Ottawa, and was an active participant in the many regulatory, public policy and judicial proceedings, which have shaped Canada's competitive communications marketplace. He has also served on the executive of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and is President of the International Institute of Communications.

Michael Geist
Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law,
University of Ottawa

Michael Geist is the Canada Research Chair of Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa and serves as Technology Counsel to Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. Mr. Geist has written numerous academic and media articles, and writes extensively on information technology issues for news media. In addition, he is the founder of the Ontario Research Network for Electronic Commerce, and serves on the advisory boards of several leading Internet law publications, including the Electronic Commerce & Law Report, the Journal of Internet Law and Internet Law and Business.

Amanda Maltby
Senior Vice-President,
Canadian Marketing Association

Amanda Maltby, a Senior Vice-President at the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA), is one of Canada's leading experts and commentators on the impact of privacy laws on marketing. Ms. Maltby has over 15 years of experience in public affairs and strategic communications management. At the CMA, she oversees communications, research and government relations programs in addition to overseeing the work of the Association's Ethics and Privacy Committee and Special Interest Councils. She is also responsible for managing and advocating the CMA's position on privacy and has led its self-regulatory efforts in Internet and e-mail marketing, and marketing to children and teenagers.

Suzanne Morin
Assistant General Counsel,
Bell Canada, and Internet Law Policy Forum

Since her call to the bar in 1992, Suzanne Morin has been working in the areas of privacy, copyright, telecommunications and electronic commerce. She is involved with many associations, including the Canadian Association of Internet Providers, the Internet Law & Policy Forum and the Global Business Dialogue on Electronic Commerce. Ms. Morin continues to be very active in the consultations relating to private sector privacy legislation taking place at the provincial level. She speaks frequently at national and international conferences, and has served on a variety of advisory groups dealing with personal information protection issues.

Geneviève Reed
Head of Research and Representation,
Option consommateurs

Joining Option consommateurs as Coordinator of Media Services in February 2001, Geneviève Reed has headed the Research and Advocacy Service since May 2003. From 1998 to 2001, she was a research assistant, and editor-in-chief of the magazine, Objectif Terre, with the Observatoire de l'écopolitique internationale. Located at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), this is a centre for information, research and education on the development, implementation and effectiveness of international agreements on global environmental problems. After earning a Bachelor's Degree in Communications at UQAM in 1995, Ms. Reed completed a Master's Degree in Political Science in 2000.

Neil Schwartzman
President,
Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email Canada

Neil Schwartzman is a founding member and the President of the public advocacy group, Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email Canada (CAUCE Canada). He has been involved in anti-spam work since 1995, initially managing the anti-spam protection on e-mail systems at Concordia University in Montréal. Among his other activities in the sector, Mr. Schwartzman began publishing the industry journal spamNEWS in 1996 and has served on the boards of such organizations as the SpamCon Foundation and CAUCE International.

Roger Tassé
Partner,
Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP

Roger Tassé practices law in Ottawa with Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP. Previously, Mr. Tassé had a long career in the federal government, serving as Deputy Solicitor General from 1972 to 1977, and as Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General from 1977 to 1985. He is a member of the Quebec Bar (1956) and the Ontario Bar (1986). Mr. Tassé retired from the Public Service of Canada in October 1985 to practice law in Ottawa. His areas of practice include telecommunications and broadcasting, the Internet and electronic commerce, native law, and federal administrative and constitutional law. Mr. Tassé was Co-chair of the Federal Task Force on Canadian Magazines Industry (1994) and member of the Direct-to-Home Satellite TV-Panel (1995).