Changes to Senior Officials
Premier John Hamm, chair of the Council of Atlantic Premiers, has announced the appointment of Edgar (Ed) Cramm as incoming secretary to council. Mr. Cramm will leave his current portfolio as deputy minister of the Department of Community Services to take up his new position on Aug. 1.
Premier Hamm made the appointment on behalf of his fellow council members, Bernard Lord, Premier of New Brunswick; Pat Binns, Premier of Prince Edward Island; and Roger Grimes, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.
"I wish Mr. Cramm well in his new responsibilities at a time when regional co-operation is so vitally important," Premier Hamm said today, June 17. "I am confident he will do well representing and promoting the interests of all Atlantic Canadians."
A native of Grand Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Cramm has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Public Administration from Dalhousie University. He has served as deputy minister for Municipal Affairs, Health, Economic Development and Tourism and most recently, Community Services. He will be replacing Leo Walsh, a former deputy minister in Prince Edward Island, whose secondment ends July 31.
As secretary to council, Mr. Cramm will lead a staff of 15 at the Halifax-based secretariat which organizes and expedites the work of the council. The Council of Maritime Premiers was established in 1971 to promote unity among the three Maritime governments and co-ordinate activities of the governments and their agencies. Newfoundland joined the council through a memorandum of understanding signed by the four premiers in May 2000.
The council oversees several regional agencies and currently has more than 30 regional initiatives under way in an effort to improve public services for Atlantic Canadians and reduce barriers to business within the region.
At the council's meeting early in June, the four premiers vowed to continue their aggressive approach to representing the interests of Atlantic Canada on the national stage. Premier Hamm will be hosting the 43rd annual premiers' conference in Halifax this summer.
Premier John Hamm also announced a number of personnel changes in the senior ranks of government, affecting several government departments and offices.
Marian Tyson, executive director of Court Services at the Department of Justice, will become deputy minister of Community Services, effective immediately. As a long-serving public servant, the premier said, Ms. Tyson brings sound managerial experience and a legal background to the task.
Judith Sullivan-Corney, Public Service Commissioner, will be moving from the Public Service Commission to take on the role as CEO of the Office of Aboriginal Affairs. Ms. Sullivan-Corney has more than 22 years experience in the provincial government and has been responsible for public sector negotiations and human resource policies. On June 7, Nova Scotia, the federal government and the Mi'kmaq of Nova Scotia signed an umbrella agreement to govern upcoming negotiations.
Margaret (Peg) MacInnis will be stepping down as CEO of Aboriginal Affairs to act as an advisor to that office for the next year. She was formerly a lawyer with the Department of Justice.
Vicki Harnish will become the new Public Service Commissioner. Ms. Harnish has been executive officer of Treasury and Policy Board, government's central agency responsible for advising Executive Council and its committees on policy and budget issues. A competition will be held to replace Ms. Harnish at Treasury and Policy Board.
Ms. Harnish will also take on the role of secretary to the Executive Council, a position that has recently been held by Alison Scott, who is also clerk of the Executive Council and deputy minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.
The premier said government is in the final stages of recruiting a new deputy minister of energy and an announcement will be made soon.