Leadership Virtual Panel

Charles Taker is a veteran public servant. He is currently the Representative of the Commissioner of Official Languages for the Quebec and Nunavut Region. He has been with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages since January 2003. Before this appointment, he was manager in the Official Language Minority Communities Secretariat at Human Resources Development Canada where he held the ex-officio title of Secretary of the National Human Resources Development Committee for the English Linguistic Minority. Prior to working for the federal government he was Director General of the Municipality of Grosse Ile in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

Dr. Sandi Wright is the Director General of Modernization for the Receiver General of Canada who is spearheading the transformation of payment and accounting systems for the Government of Canada. Sandi believes that innovation and leading-edge technology are the key to ensuring these complex and vital systems are capable of responding to rapidly changing client needs and technology, now and into the future. Adopting an agile approach, Sandi has led her team to begin the modernization journey with the introduction of digital cheque imaging with the Government of Canada and introducing new publication technology, expediting the production of the annual Public Accounts of Canada. Sandi’s previous leadership in digital business transformation was recognized by a 2016 G-Tech nomination for excellence in Transformation Business in Government. Sandi is a seasoned Senior Executive who holds a PhD in Management from Carleton University specializing in organizational behavior and psychology.

Chief Superintendent Andrew Blackadar O.2907, Commanding Officer, Nunavut

Chief Superintendent Andrew Blackadar was born in Dalhousie, New Brunswick and he joined the RCMP in 1990. Chief Superintendent Blackadar began his career in Newfoundland and Labrador where he worked in small, rural detachments and Grand-Falls Windsor General Investigation Section. The high point of his career in B Division was policing in Labrador while he was stationed in Hopedale and Davis Inlet. 

Over the course of the following 15 years, he served in various roles including Nova Scotia Major Crime, NCO i/c Recruiting, Criminal Operations, and as the Media Relations Officer for Prince Edward Island.

In 2014, Chief Superintendent Blackadar was commissioned and promoted to the rank of Inspector as the first Performance Officer for the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit – British Columbia (CFSEU-BC).  He then took on the role of the Operations Officer in Charge of Uniform Gang Enforcement and Surveillance at the CFSEU-BC.

In 2017, he was promoted to the rank of Superintendent and served as the Officer in Charge of Operations Strategy Branch for British Columbia. He then took a transfer to Criminal Operations as the Support Officer for Federal Investigative Services and Organized Crime. While working in CROPS-FISOC, Chief Superintendent Blackadar collaborated extensively with other law enforcement agencies and Deputy CROPS Officers to ensure that British Columbians received effective and efficient policing support services.

Because he firmly believes that “communities come first,” Chief Superintendent Blackadar developed strong community links in each location he has policed, helping to build a long lasting relationship between the communities and the RCMP.

Chief Superintendent Blackadar received his Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Chief Superintendent Blackadar has a son who is currently studying biomedical engineering at the University of Toronto.

In his spare time, Chief Superintendent Blackadar enjoys snowmobiling and exploring the outdoors and experiencing all that Nunavut has to offer. He enjoys running, hiking and being physically active.

Chief Superintendent Blackadar is eager to help the residents of Nunavut. “I feel privileged and humbled to be the RCMP’s new commanding officer in Nunavut. In order to advance reconciliation and build a stronger, more resilient society, I am looking forward to working with the communities, the Government of Nunavut, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, other community partners, and the staff in every Hamlet.”

Maité Chavez, Manager, Strategic Services

Ms. Chavez began her career in the federal public service in 2009 when she joined Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Over the next nine years, she held various positions in other departments such as Transport Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Indigenous Services Canada.

In 2018, Ms. Chavez joined the Canadian Coast Guard, Central Region, as the manager of the Indigenous Relations and Partnerships team. In January 2021, she became the manager of the Strategic Services unit, and later that year, she assumed the interim position of Regional Director of Integrated Business Management Services.

In September 2023, Maité Chavez returned to work at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada as the manager of the Strategic Services team, where she is responsible for the Policy Analysis Division, Economic Analysis, and the Regional Center for Indigenous Relations and Partnerships.

In addition to her federal public service career, Maité was a project manager for Innovation Maritime from 2004 to 2007, an analyst for the Great Lakes Commission in 2008, and the coordinator of the American Fisheries Society’s general assembly from 2013 to 2014. She also worked as a policy advisor for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food of the Quebec government from 2008 to 2009.

Maité holds a bachelor’s degree in fisheries engineering from Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina and a master’s degree with distinction in marine resource management from the University of Quebec at Rimouski.

Marie-Josée Cayer

Director, Regional Service Delivery – Quebec/North, Shared Services Canada

Authentic, committed, people-oriented leader who loves to get the most out of life.

Triathlete, clown in her spare time and mother of two young women, Marie-Josée Cayer has over 28 years of experience in the federal public service, particularly in human resources and program administration. Marie-Josée joined the Public Service of Canada in 1996 as a management trainee. Over the course of her career, she has managed several operational programs spanning various departments in addition to spearheading major organizational transformation projects. She has played a pivotal role, notably excelling, in the following projects:

• Restructuring of Canada’s waterways by implementing new ways of managing locks (Trent, Severn, Rideau, Chambly and Lachine);
• Negotiation of a tripartite agreement (federal, provincial, Aboriginal) to adjust the remuneration of on-reserve foster families – an adjustment of more than 30M;
• In-depth review of Indigenous Estates Management Program within Indigenous Services Canada in Quebec;
• Creation of a technology expert structure in Northern Canada’s three territories;
• Implementation of the first multi-departmental site integrating a single technological infrastructure maximizing the risk of interruption and minimizing costs.

Marie-Josée holds hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. She holds an executive position since 2016.

Suzie Boudreau, Director at Public Services and Procurement Canada for the Receiver General’s Imaging and Operations Branch in Matane.
A passionate and dedicated manager with over 24 years’ experience in the Government of Canada, she has developed and implemented strategies and programs in various departments to advance the adoption of best business practices and new technologies. Over the years, she has been involved in a variety of mandates: fisheries management, regional economic development, aboriginal consultations, fish and fish habitat protection and digital services. Suzie holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from ÉNAP and a Master’s degree in Management Information Systems from UQAM. She is also certified in Lean Six Sigma – green belt. Suzie is enthusiastic about applying her diverse experience and people and results-oriented leadership skills to government programs to deliver quality services to Canadian citizens.

Lissette Bonilla has been appointed Quebec Regional General Manager in ISED’s Innovation Strategy and Policy Sector in August 2023.

Prior to her appointment, Ms. Bonilla was Eastern Regional Director for the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy (OSB), ISED’s Market, Tourism and Small Business Services Sector since May 2021. She has held several management positions within the public service, including eight years as Deputy Superintendent of the TSO  Program and Project Support Team. In November 2016, she was given the mandate to consolidate the TSO’s three service centers into a national service center located in Montreal.

She began her career as a federal public servant with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in 1996. She has 20 years of management experience. Ms. Bonilla holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in tourism management and intervention.