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True North Public Affairs' core team is based in Ottawa. This group of experienced consultants joins forces with other experts in Ottawa and across the country as required to meet client needs.
James Roche, Managing Partner
jroche@tnpa.ca
Mr. Roche has an extensive background in public policy and government decision-making; he is an experienced corporate planner, and excels in strategic positioning.
Mr. Roche's broad experience makes him well-suited to provide advice and practical help to clients in the public sector and those having business with the Government of Canada. For the past nine years, he has led two of Canada's pre-eminent management and public affairs consulting firms.
Prior to this, Mr. Roche served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of one of Canada's largest Crown Corporations. He also served in senior advisory capacities at various federal government departments and agencies, including Transport Canada, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, National Defence, Western Economic Diversification, and the Commission to Review MPs' Allowances. Mr. Roche was Chief of Staff to two federal cabinet ministers.
Mr. Roche has a BA in political science from the University of Saskatchewan and an MA in history from McGill University.
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Pierre Tomson, Partner
ptomson@tnpa.ca
Mr. Tomson brings more than 20 years of experience in the fields of strategic management, communications, stakeholder relations, governance and organizational performance. He is recognized for his analytical and conceptual capabilities, and for developing innovative and practical solutions for complex private and public organizations.
Mr. Tomson's recent work includes the redefinition of the strategic planning framework of one of Canada’s most prominent professional association. He supported the senior management of a leading financial corporation in implementing a major reorganization. He helped the leaders of one of Canada's largest cultural communities strengthen its advocacy and communications capabilities. In another instance, he played a central role in restructuring the corporate communications function of one of the largest and highest-profile Crown corporations in Canada.
Before helping to establish True North Public Affairs, Mr. Tomson was a senior professional and executive in several leading management consulting and public affairs firms in Canada, where he developed a solid understanding of the machinery and decision-making processes of government.
Mr. Tomson holds a Business Engineering degree from the State University of Mons - Belgium (Magna Cum Laude), and an M.B.A. from McGill University.
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Sean Casey, Partner
scasey@tnpa.ca
An accomplished communications professional, with an extensive background in politics and the media, Mr. Casey joined True North Public Affairs after several years on Parliament Hill.
Mr. Casey served as Executive Assistant to three Members of Parliament and as a communications officer, both in the Opposition House Leader's office and in the Leader of the Opposition's office. His many years on the Hill have given him an insider's appreciation of the priorities and interests of elected members, and a deep understanding of how the House of Commons conducts its business.
Mr. Casey excels in communications planning, issues management and media relations. His extensive knowledge of parliamentary procedure and decision-making means he is an invaluable resource for both the development and execution of government relations strategies.
Prior to his years on the Hill, Mr. Casey was active in municipal government, serving as Executive Assistant to an Ottawa city councilor, and worked as a news reporter and sports commentator for Ottawa-area radio and television stations.
Mr. Casey has an honours degree in Journalism from Carleton University.
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Keith Beardsley, Partner
kbeardsley@tnpa.ca
Mr. Beardsley has been active in politics from the municipal to the federal level for over 30 years. He is known for his strategic sense and his ability to develop and implement complex advocacy campaigns, using a wide variety of tactics and being simultaneously engaged on a number of fronts.
His extensive political background, which began as a municipal councillor on the West Island of Montreal, includes assignments as ministerial Chief of Staff and senior advisor in three federal departments, as well as Deputy Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He also served as the head of research for the Progressive Conservative Party and was a senior adviser in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, where he created one of the most successful issue management and rapid response teams in federal politics.
Mr. Beardsley has the advantage of having served both in Opposition and in Government, providing him broad insight into the parliamentary process and government decision-making. Mr. Beardsley’s experience makes him well-suited to provide strategic, communications and tactical advice on the governmental and parliamentary aspects of issues important to clients.
Mr. Beardsley has a BA from Sir George Williams University and a teaching diploma from McGill University.
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Alison German, Partner
agerman@tnpa.ca
Ms German has an impressive track record of over 20 years in corporate communications and public affairs with particular experience in corporate positioning, media relations, issues management, financial communications, government relations and regulatory support. Over the course of her career, Ms German has either advised or served on the executive of many of Canada’s largest national and international corporations.
Prior to joining True North Public Affairs, Ms German served as Vice President Corporate Communications for Canada’s largest communications company and its holding company. Ms German also served as Vice President, Communications and Community Investment (Quebec) at Canada’s second largest communications company.
She has extensive consulting experience, having been Vice President at one of Canada’s pre-eminent public affairs consulting firms, where she played key roles in a number of Canadian and Canada-US corporate mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. As well, Ms German was Vice President Corporate and Public Affairs at the leading Canadian advertising and communications agency.
Ms German’s experience includes building and managing major advocacy programs where government relations and strategic communications are integrated to create an effective campaign strategy. Examples include Canada’s Telecom Policy Review which resulted in a further deregulation of Canada’s telecom industry and the Canada Transportation Act Review which examined the legislation governing railways in Canada. Ms German has lead other notable integrated programs including: CN’s acquisition of Illinois Central, which required both US and Canadian regulatory approval; Air Canada’s defence of a hostile takeover; and, the privatization of the Canada Communication Group, among others.
Ms German is fluently bilingual and has a B.A. in international politics from McGill University.
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Paul Monlezun, Vice President
pmonlezun@tnpa.ca
Paul Monlezun has more than 20 years of experience in corporate communications and public affairs, including over 16 years as a consultant. He provides clients with proven experience in issues and reputation management, activist risk management, crisis communications, and government relations and strategic planning.
Mr. Monlezun has worked with a variety of public and private sector clients in the energy, forestry, mining, transportation, food and beverages and infrastructure sectors. He has developed a successful approach for helping companies, industries and governments respond to market pressure campaigns. In 2005, he managed the public release of the Gomery Report on Sponsorship. He also managed communications around the creation of Nav Canada, the largest commercialization of a government service in Canadian history.
Before coming to True North Public Affairs, Mr. Monlezun was an executive and senior counsel at other leading Canadian public affairs firms. He has Bachelor of Arts degrees in political science (1986) and Canadian History (1987) from Carleton University in Ottawa.
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Thomas Gelin, Research Consultant
tgelin@tnpa.ca
As a Research Consultant, Thomas Gelin assists many clients in a variety of their logistical and research needs.
Mr. Gelin holds a B.A. in political science from the Institute of Political Sciences of Grenoble (France) where he is currently completing a Master's degree in public administration. In 2010, he attended the University of Ottawa as an exchange student.
Mr. Gelin’s most recent experience in the field of public affairs involved working for the Conseil régional d'Alsace (France) as a Junior Consultant. In this capacity, he helped create and implement a particular aspect of the region’s economic development strategy related to the organic food industry. This work allowed Mr. Gelin to gain hands-on experience managing a range of public sector issues and their impact on, and relationship to, private sector entities.
Mr. Gelin is fluent in French and English.
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Senior Associates
Tristan K.-Laflamme
Mr. Laflamme is the Executive Director of the Canadian Marine Pilots’ Association (CMPA). As a national body, the CMPA is concerned with all marine issues as they affect pilots – whether expressed through legislation, regulation, policy reviews or industry consultations. The Association also fosters public awareness of the role marine pilots play in protecting public safety and the environment.
Prior to this, Mr. Laflamme contributed to the establishment of True North Public Affairs and, as a partner with the firm during its first five years, he provided strategic advice to senior executives and decision-makers both in the public and private sector on policy development, legislative and regulatory affairs and stakeholder management.
Previously, Mr. Laflamme was a senior member of another leading public affairs consulting firm in Canada where he directed a number of major public affairs projects for well-established national organizations, particularly in the transportation and telecommunications sectors.
Mr. Laflamme holds a M.Sc. in public administration and public policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He was called to the Québec Bar in 1995 after obtaining an LLB from Laval University. Mr. Laflamme won the Silver Medal at the Wilhelm C. Vis Inaugural Moot, in Vienna, in 1994.
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Richard Le Lay
Mr. Le Lay's distinguished career has spanned the worlds of politics, public policy, communications and strategic planning. His wide experience ideally positions him to help clients understand the public policy and political environments in which they conduct business.
Mr. Le Lay has worked as Vice President, Corporate Affairs for one of Canada's largest manufacturing and consumer products companies; as senior policy advisor to Cabinet Ministers in both Ottawa and Québec City; as Secretary General of the Progressive Conservative Party of Québec; and as the President of an advertising and public relations agency with offices in Montreal, Toronto, Québec City and Ottawa.
Mr. Le Lay has a degree in economics from the University of Ottawa.
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Marian L. Robson
Mrs. Robson's distinguished career is noteworthy for the leadership roles she has played in the transportation sector and for her proven ability to bring diverse interests together in common cause.
A long-time resident of Vancouver, Mrs. Robson recently completed a ten-year assignment in Ottawa as Chairman and CEO of the Canadian Transportation Agency, the body responsible for administering the economic regulatory provisions affecting all modes of transport under federal jurisdiction.
Prior to her appointment to the Agency, Mrs. Robson was Director of the Vancouver-based Cascadia Institute, a public policy group specializing in tourism, transportation and trade projects in Western Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest.
Previously, Mrs. Robson was Manager of Public Affairs for CN Rail in British Columbia.
Mrs. Robson has also held several executive positions with the Canadian port system, first as a full-time member of the National Harbours Board (NHB) which was responsible for the administration of fifteen Canadian ports. She was a Director of the Canada Ports Corporation, the successor body to the NHB, and was the first Chairman of the newly-established Vancouver Port Corporation in the early 1980's.
From 1977 to 1980, Mrs. Robson was Corporate Secretary of provincially-owned British Columbia Railway. Prior to that, Mrs. Robson served as Special Assistant to federal Cabinet Minister, the Honourable Otto Lang.
Mrs. Robson received her B.A. in English from the University of Saskatchewan and completed post-graduate studies in Political Science at the University of British Columbia and the University of Saskatchewan.
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Bob Richardson
Mr. Richardson has provided strategic leadership on international, national and regional projects in both the private and public sectors. His extensive experience in public relations, opinion research, and government relations allows him to provide clients with exceptional value in a variety of situations.
Based in Toronto, Mr. Richardson is a nationally-recognized expert on measuring, monitoring and influencing public opinion. Mr. Richardson's years as Senior Vice President at Ipsos-Reid, and the time he spent directing attitudinal research for the Government of Canada, have given him unique insight in to how Canadians think and what they value.
Mr. Richardson has appeared as a political analyst on numerous national and provincial media shows. He served in the Government of Ontario for 10 years, including as Executive Assistant, Legislative Assistant and Press Secretary to the Minister of Colleges and Universities, Executive Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources and to the Minister of Energy. As well, he served as Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Official Opposition.
Mr. Richardson holds a Bachelor's degree in political science and public administration from Carleton University, where he now serves on the board of governors. He is also a member of the board of governors of Seneca College in Toronto.
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Hon. Rémi Bujold
For over 20 years, Mr. Bujold played leading roles in the Governments of Canada and Québec. After a distinguished Parliamentary career in Ottawa, Mr. Bujold founded Consilium, which quickly became the best-regarded public affairs consulting firm in Québec.
Mr. Bujold began his work in government as a special advisor to the Québec Minister of Financial Institutions, subsequently serving as Chief of Staff to the Québec Minister of Social Affairs. In 1975, he became a special assistant to the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honorable Pierre E. Trudeau.
In 1979, and again in 1980, Mr. Bujold was elected to Parliament from the riding of Bonaventure/Îles-de-la-Madeleine. As an M.P., he served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Immigration and as Chairman of the National Liberal Caucus. In 1984, Mr. Bujold was named Minister of State for Regional Development. After leaving federal politics, Mr. Bujold became Chief of Staff to the Honourable Robert Bourassa, serving in that capacity while Mr. Bourassa was Leader of the Opposition and Premier of Québec.
Mr. Bujold has a law degree from Laval University and is a member of the Québec bar. He is the past Chairman of both the Land Mines Foundation of Canada and the Council for Canadian Unity. Mr. Bujold is also a recipient of the Order of Canada.
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Cheryl Bidgood
For over 14 years, Ms. Bidgood has been a leading public affairs and corporate communications practitioner in the Halifax area. Throughout her career, she has worked particularly closely with some of the most important transportation concerns in Atlantic Canada.
Most recently, Ms. Bidgood was responsible for the internal and external communications activities of the Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission. Previously, she managed the Port of Halifax's cruise ship marketing services and business development activities. At the Halifax-Dartmouth Port Development Commission, Ms. Bidgood had responsibility for stakeholder relations and advocacy. She has also worked extensively with the Metropolitan Halifax Chamber of Commerce.
While based in Halifax, Ms. Bidgood is well-known throughout Atlantic Canada, partly as a result of the years she spent as Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group's sales manager for the region.
Ms. Bidgood has a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick and an M.B.A. in Marketing and Transportation from Dalhousie University in Halifax. She has also completed related studies at Queen's University School of Business in Kingston, Ontario and the Seatrade Academy in Cambridge, England.
Ms. Bidgood is the receipient of several communications and marketing awards from international organizations and has co-authored a book on strategic alliances.
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Patrice Ryan
Mr. Ryan is a highly-regarded, long-time public affairs practitioner in Québec. He worked for many years with two of the leading government relations and communications consulting firms in Montreal, where he provided strategic advice and practical support to public and private sector clients. Mr. Ryan also worked at Bombardier Aeronautics, where he was Director of Public Affairs. Most recently, he served as Vice President and Managing Director of GPC International, with responsibility for offices in Montreal and Québec City.
Before embarking on his career in consulting, Mr. Ryan was a member of the diplomatic service, serving abroad at the Canadian Consulate in New York City and in the Canadian Embassy in Lima, Peru.
Mr. Ryan has a Bachelor's degree in economics from McGill University and a graduate degree in public administration from Columbia University in New York.
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Mary McLaughlin
Ms. McLaughlin brings over 30 years of experience in corporate and public affairs, government and communications. Based in London, Ontario, she currently serves as President of an integrated public affairs and communications firm, drawing on her extensive experience to support organizations in both the private and public sectors and to provide counsel to their senior executives.
Previously, Ms. McLaughlin served as Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Ontario Hydro, with responsibility for relations with the utility's shareholder, the Government of Ontario, and with its many stakeholders. She was also Vice President of Public Affairs for The Mutual Group, one of Canada's largest insurance companies. In that capacity, Ms. McLaughlin oversaw national communication and advertising campaigns and directed the company's charitable and community-focused activities.
Ms. McLaughlin served in the Government of Canada for five years as Press Secretary to the Minister of Health and Welfare. Prior to that, she had an impressive career in broadcast journalism, including working both behind and in front of the camera on the award-winning CTV shows Canada AM and W5.
Ms. McLaughlin is a tireless worker in the volunteer sector, most notably serving as President and Co-founder of the Canadian Landmine Foundation. She served as Chair of the Board of Governors of St. Jerome's University at the University of Waterloo and is currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors of King's University College at the University of Western Ontario.
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Gilles Dufault
With over 25 years of leadership experience in the public and private sectors, Mr. Dufault offers valuable insight in a wide range of areas, including corporate governance, regulatory affairs, government relations and Canadian politics.
After serving as advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. Dufault held several senior management positions at VIA Rail Canada. He then established a successful consulting company providing strategic advice to a number of important organizations, including CP Rail Network and the Liberal Party of Canada (Quebec). He also served for ten years, first as a Member and then as Vice Chairman, at the Canadian Transportation Agency.
Mr. Dufault studied in social sciences at the University of Montreal and he holds an MBA from the University of Quebec in Montreal.
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Michael von Herff
Mr. von Herff is one of Canada’s foremost public affairs advisors, having spent the better part of two decades assisting Canadian and international organizations in advancing their agendas with government, stakeholders and the general public. While his work in recent years has focused on the financial services and natural resources sectors, over the course of his career he has assisted clients in a wide range of industries including transportation, chemicals, automotive, as well as communications and distribution. He has particular experience developing and implementing campaigns requiring the integration of government relations, public policy and strategic communications.
Prior to establishing his own firm, Mr. von Herff helped build the public affairs practice of the world’s largest communications agency. This included the establishment of the firm’s European practice and, later, responsibility for its offices in Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver. In addition to advising some of the world’s leading organization, that role provided him with the opportunity to work with and develop many of the leading public affairs professionals active in the public and private sectors today.
Outside of his professional work, Mr. von Herff has served as president of SOS Children’s Villages Canada, the Canadian affiliate of the world’s leading international children’s charity providing permanent homes and child sponsorships for orphaned, abandoned, and destitute children in more than 130 countries. He is a member of the Board of Atlantik-Brücke Canada and an advisor to the Brain Canada Foundation.
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Captain Michel Pouliot, C.M., F.N.I.
For the past three decades, Captain Michel Pouliot has been one of the most prominent Canadians involved with marine transportation issues. Based in Quebec City, Capt. Pouliot gained extensive sea experience in the Americas and West Indies before becoming a licensed marine pilot on the St. Lawrence River in 1965. He served as President of the Lower St Lawrence Pilots’ Association from 1977 to 1980 and again from 1992 to 1995. He was elected Vice-President of the Canadian Marine Pilots’ Association (CMPA) in 1981 and was President from 1983 to 2009.
Capt. Pouliot has also been active on the international scene, notably as President of the International Maritime Pilots Organization (IMPA) from 1990 to 2002. Capt. Pouliot’s tenure as President of both the CMPA and the IMPA has been characterized by an unceasing commitment to furthering the cause of marine safety and the interests of pilots through the cohesion of the pilot organizations themselves and their responsible participation in maritime transportation decision-making bodies. During his tenure, Mr. Pouliot has contributed to many initiatives aimed at enhancing safety, notably through the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO). Capt. Pouliot has continued to participate as a member of Canada’s delegation to IMO and to otherwise serve in advisory capacities to the Government of Canada and various shipping interests.
In recognition of his ongoing commitment to marine transportation safety and environmental protection, Capt. Pouliot was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2002. He is also a fellow of The Nautical Institute in London (U.K.) and Honorary Life Member of the American Pilots’ Association and of the Latin American Pilots’ Forum. In 2003, Capt. Pouliot was awarded the Association of Canadian Port Authorities’ Medal of Merit in recognition of his outstanding service in the maritime field.
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