Wayne Wouters

The Honourable
Wayne G. Wouters
PC OC
Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet
In office
July 1, 2009 – October 3, 2014
Prime MinisterStephen Harper
Preceded byKevin G. Lynch
Succeeded byJanice Charette
Secretary of the Treasury Board
In office
December 20, 2004 – June 30, 2009
MinisterReg Alcock
John Baird
Vic Toews
Preceded byJim Judd
Succeeded byMichelle d'Auray
Deputy Minister of Human Resources Development
In office
May 13, 2002 – 19 December 2004
MinisterJane Stewart
Preceded byClaire Morris
Succeeded byNicole Jauvin (as Deputy Minister of Social Development)
Deputy Minister of Labour
In office
May 13, 2002 – December 11, 2003
MinisterClaudette Bradshaw
Preceded byClaire Morris
Succeeded byMaryantonett Flumian
Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
In office
September 2, 1997 – May 12, 2002
MinisterDavid Anderson
Herb Dhaliwal
Robert Thibault
Preceded byBill Rowat
Succeeded byPeter Harrison
Personal details
BornApril 1951 (age 73)
Edam, Saskatchewan
Residence(s)Ottawa, Ontario[1]
Alma materUniversity of Saskatchewan
Queen's University

Wayne G. Wouters, PC OC (born April 1951) is a Canadian former public servant and past Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet.[2] He retired as Clerk on October 3, 2014, and was replaced by Janice Charette.

Life and career

Wouters was born in Edam, Saskatchewan. He received his Bachelor of Commerce degree in economics from the University of Saskatchewan and his Master of Arts in economics from Queen's University.

Formerly a lecturer in political science and economics at the University of Saskatchewan, in 1977 he joined the Government of Saskatchewan rising to the position of Director of Energy Policy Branch, Department of Mineral Resources.

In 1982 he joined the Federal government and held various positions in the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources and the Department of Finance. By 1994, he had been appointed to senior positions within the Privy Council Office including, Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet (Program Review), and Head, Task Force on the Newfoundland Economy and Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Plans and Consultation).

In 1997, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and in 2002 became Deputy Minister of Human Resources Development and Deputy Minister of Labour. In 2003 he was also given the added responsibility of chairperson, Canada Employment Insurance Commission. In 2004, he was appointed Secretary of the Treasury Board.

On May 7, 2009, it was announced that he would be appointed Clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the Cabinet to replace the retiring Kevin Lynch. His appointment became effective July 1, 2009.

Wouters was one of thirteen Canadians banned from traveling to Russia under retaliatory sanctions imposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2014.[3]

Retirement

On August 19, 2014, Wouters announced that he would be retiring from the public service after a 37-year career. The next day, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Janice Charette would replace him on October 6, 2014.[4]

He was sworn in as a Member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada on December 10, 2014.[5]

On October 13, 2015, BlackBerry announced that Wouters has been added to its board of directors.[6]

In June 2017, he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Malyk, Lauren (30 June 2017). "Nine Ottawans appointed to the Order of Canada". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  2. ^ May, Kathryn (May 1, 2012). "PSAC OKs dues increase to bail out pension, fight Tories". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  3. ^ Susana Mas (March 24, 2013). "Russian sanctions against Canadians a 'badge of honour'". CBC News. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  4. ^ MacCharles, Tonda (20 August 2014). "Stephen Harper names Janice Charette new top civil servant". Toronto Star. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  5. ^ Current Alphabetical List of Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Privy Council Office | http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=eng&page=information&sub=council-conseil&doc=members-membres/alphabet-eng.htm#W Archived 2017-10-21 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Blackberry Appoints the Honourable Wayne G. Wouters to the Board of Directors | http://press.blackberry.com/en/financial/2015/blackberry-appoints-the-honourable-wayne-g-wouters-to-the-board-of-directors.html