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Hon. Jean-Jacques Blais, P.C., Q.C.

Counsel

Jean-Jacques Blais is a lawyer, Queen’s counsel and Privy Councilor. He was a Member of Parliament for the riding of Nipissing in Northern Ontario from 1972 to 1984 and a Minister of the Federal Crown from 1976 to 1984.

Mr. Blais obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Ottawa in 1961, and his LL.B. in 1964. He was called to the bar in 1966. In 2001, Mr. Blais obtained a Masters degree in International Law from the University of Ottawa. First elected to the House of Commons in October 1972, Mr. Blais was re-elected in 1974, 1979, and 1980. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Privy Council in 1975 by (then) Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Mr. Blais joined Pierre Trudeau’s cabinet in Sept. of 1976 and served as Postmaster General (76 –78), Solicitor General for Canada (78-79), Minister of Supply and Services and Receiver General for Canada with responsibility for Defence Production and Statistics Canada,(80-83) and Minister of National Defence (83-84) From 1984 to 1991 Mr. Blais was a member of the Security Intelligence Review Committee.

Since 1991 Mr. Blais has served on some 12 democratization missions including 7 months in Bosnia in 1998 as Deputy Chairman of the Provisional Election Commission and 8 months in Afghanistan in 2003 as head of an advisory mission to the UN on elections readiness.

Mr. Blais is Chairman Emeritus of Pearson Peacekeeping Training Centre and a founding Director of the Canada-Israel Industrial Research Foundation. He is former chairman of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Board of Directors and presently Vice-Chairman of the Canadian Parliamentary Centre.

He is counsel to the firm and advises clients on government relations, public administration and governance. Mr. Blais is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and the Liberal Party of Canada.