Chantal Bernier


Chantal Bernier was the interim Privacy Commissioner of Canada from 2013 to 2014. Prior to her position as interim privacy commissioner, Bernier was an assistant deputy minister for Public Safety Canada from 2002 to 2008 and assistant Privacy Commissioner of Canada from 2008 to 2013. In 2012, she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Education

Bernier graduated from a law program at the University of Sherbrooke in 1977 and a master's degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1980.

Career

Bernier began her career at the Bar of Quebec in 1978. Outside of law, she was an advisor for the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada from 1993 to 1996 and the Department of Justice from 1996 to 1998. After briefly working at the Privy Council Office as an operations director for a year, Bernier was an assistant deputy minister for the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada until 2002. She continued working as an assistant deputy minister for Public Safety Canada until 2008.
Bernier began her career with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada as an assistant privacy commissioner in November 2008. During her time with the Privacy Commission, she became the interim Privacy Commissioner of Canada in the end of 2013 after Jennifer Stoddart left her position. Bernier was replaced by Daniel Therrien as the Privacy Commissioner in May 2014. After her tenure as interim Privacy Commissioner ended, Bernier joined the law firm Dentons as a privacy counsel in October 2014.

Awards and honours

Bernier was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.