Canadian Lawyer

GOVERNMENT/NON-PROFITS/REGULATORS/ASSOCIATIONS Thomas Mulcair Leader, New Democratic Party of Canada, and MP for Outremont, Montreal In addition to being elected to lead the federal New Democratic Party earlier this year, Thomas Mulcair was instrumental in helping Jack Layton engineer the party's "orange tide" in Quebec during the last election. He's obviously got something going for him in the political arena as he's now been the proud target of Conservative party attack ads. The ads take him to task over comments he made in the spring that the Alberta oilsands have given the country a case of "Dutch disease" because oil exports raise the value of the Canadian dollar, in turn hurting the economy in other parts of the country. Prior to his career in politics, Mulcair worked in the Quebec provincial government, practised law, and taught at a university. What the panel had to say: "Mulcair is likely to have one of the most pivotal roles any member of the NDP has ever had in the future of this country. " Alison Redford Premier of Alberta Redford is Alberta's 14th premier and a lawyer who is changing the way the province does things. She came from behind to win the election and present a more outward-looking face of Alberta. Also, she's changing laws and has boldly cracked down on impaired driving, despite massive opposition. Speaking in Beijing in July, she noted Alberta is friendly to foreign investment and that China's energy needs fit well with her proposal for a Canadian energy strategy that essentially unites provinces on resource development issues — and, of course, supports Alberta's oilsands. What the panel had to say: "Redford is definitely shaking it up in one of Canada's most conservative provinces. " Jennifer Stoddart Privacy commissioner of Canada, Ottawa Making her second appearance on the Top 25 Most Influential list, Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart continues in her role as a world leader in ensuring individuals' rights are protected in the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information by an organization in the course of commercial activity. Over the past year, she helped derail the much-maligned lawful access bills with her pointed criticisms in her letter to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. Last year, she concluded that an audit by her office found that Staples Business Depot stores failed to fully wipe off customer data from returned devices designed for re-sale, even though the company had assured it dealt with the issue accordingly. What voters had to say: "Has single-handedly done more for the protection of privacy in Canada than anyone else has done or is ever likely to do again." www.CANADIAN Lawyermag.com A U GUST 2012 35 reDforD: reuters/ DaN rieDlhuBer Mulcair: reuters/Blair gaBle

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