Wayne G. Wouters, (born April 1951) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former public servant and past Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet. He retired as Clerk on October 3, 2014, and was replaced by

Janice Charette Janice Charette is a Canadian public servant serving as the Clerk of the Privy Council (Canada), clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the Cabinet. She previously held the role from 2014 to 2016, before being appointed as the High Commissio ...

Life and career

Wouters was born in Edam,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. He received his Bachelor of Commerce degree in economics from the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

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 The Treasury Board of Canada (french: Conseil du Trésor du Canada) is the Cabinet committee of the Privy Council of Canada which oversees the spending and operation of the Government of Canada and is the principal employer of the core public se ...

. 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.

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 Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...

announced that

would replace him on October 6, 2014. He was sworn in as a Member of the

Queen's Privy Council for Canada The 's Privy Council for Canada (french: Conseil privé du Roi pour le Canada),) during the reign of a queen. sometimes called Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal consultants to the ...

on December 10, 2014. On October 13, 2015,

BlackBerry The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy of ...

announced that Wouters has been added to its board of directors.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 In June 2017, he was appointed as an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wouters, Wayne Clerks of the Privy Council (Canada) Canadian economists Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Officers of the Order of Canada University of Saskatchewan alumni Living people 1951 births