New Chair of Progress Monitoring Committee Appointed

The provincial and federal governments have appointed Myra Freeman, a former lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia, as the new chair of the committee established a year ago to monitor the implementation of the recommendations from the final report of the Mass Casualty Commission.

Barbara Adams, Nova Scotia’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, and Dominic LeBlanc, federal Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced the appointment to the Progress Monitoring Committee today, May 28. The appointment takes effect Saturday, June 1.

“I am pleased to welcome Ms. Freeman to the role as chair,” said Minister Adams. “She understands the impact the mass casualty has had – and continues to have – in our province and will bring compassion and perspective to the important work of the committee. I want to thank Linda Lee Oland for her leadership and guidance as Founding Chair of the Progress Monitoring Committee. We will continue to build on the groundwork laid in the first year as we move forward on the recommendations outlined in the Mass Casualty Commission’s final report.”

Ms. Freeman, a member of the Order of Canada, served as the province’s first female lieutenant-governor from 2000 to 2007. She will carry on the work begun by Ms. Oland, whose one-year term concludes this week. Ms. Freeman will serve as chair until August 31, 2026, when the committee is expected to conclude its work.

Under Ms. Oland’s leadership, significant steps have been made to establish the committee and launch the work of monitoring the progress of the governments of Nova Scotia and Canada in advancing the findings from the final report of the Mass Casualty Commission. This included developing the terms of reference for the committee with Canada and Nova Scotia; undertaking consultations and then making recommendations to Canada and Nova Scotia on members of the committee; and recently releasing the committee’s initial six-month update and monitoring plan.

Moving forward, the Progress Monitoring Committee will continue to provide public updates, which will be posted on its website no less than every six months, and annual reports.

Quotes:

“The Honourable Myra Freeman has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to the people of Nova Scotia. In her role as chair of the Progress Monitoring Committee, she will be able to build on that commitment. I also wish to extend my sincere appreciation to Ms. Oland for the leadership and the dedication she has demonstrated throughout her time as the Founding Chair of the Progress Monitoring Committee and to the committee members for their continued work.”
— Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs

“I am honoured to have been selected as the incoming chair for the Progress Monitoring Committee. The committee has laid a solid foundation in its first year, and I look forward to working with the committee members to build on that important work of monitoring progress made by the provincial and federal governments and the RCMP, and communicating that progress to Nova Scotians and Canadians.”
— Myra A. Freeman, incoming chair, Progress Monitoring Committee; former lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia

Quick Facts:

• the Progress Monitoring Committee was established by the provincial and federal governments to provide accountability and transparency on the implementation of the recommendations made by the Mass Casualty Commission
• the committee is composed of 16 members, including family of the victims, representatives from local, provincial and federal governments, police associations, and representatives from African Nova Scotian and Indigenous community, as well as representation from the gender-based violence support sector
• the committee meets quarterly; its next meeting is scheduled for June

Additional Resources:

Progress Monitoring Committee website, which includes membership, terms of reference and updates: https://novascotia.ca/progress-monitoring-committee/#:~:text=The%20Progress%20Monitoring%20Committee%20was,Together%2C%20the%20Final%20Report%20of

Six-month report and monitoring framework: https://novascotia.ca/progress-monitoring-committee/docs/pmc-six-month-update-en.pdf