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Board of Directors

H COL ROBERT J.S. GIBSON, CLJ, MMLJ,  CHAIR

Robert J. S. Gibson joined the Royal Canadian Navy as an officer cadet and attended first year at the University of Alberta. This was followed by a period with Southland Canada during which he became District Manager for Alberta and was responsible for the management of thirty-one 7-Eleven stores.

After leaving Southland Canada, Bob was engaged in the real estate development industry with Western Realty Projects where he became Area Manager for Southern Alberta. In 1976, he accepted a position as President of United Management Ltd. and ultimately, Managing Director of Alsten Holdings Ltd., the holding company of the Singer Family of Calgary, a position that he still holds.

In 1986, Bob returned to the family roots and acquired the Bobtail Ranch in Penticton, B.C. where he and Brigitte raise a commercial herd as well as a reputable herd of pedigree Angus cattle.

Bob sits on a number of committees related to the Army Reserve restructuring. He is active in charitable works through both the Order of St. Lazarus and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Program.

He is currently holding the position of Honorary Colonel of the Calgary Highlanders in 2002.
 

ROBERT BOOTH

Bob Booth is a senior partner in the Calgary office of the Bennett Jones LLP law firm.

Bob is involved in business, professional, academic and public policy organizations. He is a director of ATCO Ltd. and of Canadian Utilities Limited; he has served as a director of the Canadian Petroleum Law Foundation and is a past president of The Royal Military Colleges Club of Canada. Bob is vice-chair of the advisory council to the University of Calgary Centre for Military and Strategic Studies and a director of the Conference of Defence Associations Institute.  Bob received the Institute-certified Director qualification (ICD.D) from the Institute of Corporate Directors on March 13, 2009.

Bob's legal practice covers many areas of corporate, commercial, energy and resources law both for Canadian and a variety of foreign corporations.

To complement his legal practice, Bob has taught Oil and Gas Law and has spoken and authored articles on Canadian Oil and Gas for the Canadian Petroleum Law Foundation, the Alberta Law Review, and various professional and business seminars.

Bob is a member of the Law Society of Alberta and the Canadian Bar Association and is a director of public and privately held corporations. He is recognized as one of Canada's leading lawyers in Energy Law (2009, Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada. 2009, Chambers Global: The WorId's Leading Lawyers for Business. 2009, Best Lawyers in Canada).

Bob has been with Bennett Jones throughout his legal career, joining in 1977 and becoming a partner in 1984. A Bachelor of Engineering graduate from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1974, he entered Dalhousie Law School as a Dunn Scholar and was awarded the Oil and Gas Prize upon graduation in 1977.

 

TOM FLANAGAN

Tom Flanagan studied political science at Notre Dame University, the Free University of West Berlin, and Duke University, where he received his Ph.D.  He has taught political science at the University of Calgary since 1968.  He was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 1996, and was named University Professor in 2007.
 

Dr. Flanagan is best known as a scholar for his books on Louis Riel, the North-West Rebellion, and aboriginal land claims.  His book First Nations? Second Thoughts received both the Donner Prize and the Canadian Political Science Association’s Donald Smiley Prize for the best book on Canadian politics published in the year 2000.  He has also published extensively on Canadian politics, elections, political parties, and game theory as a tool for understanding political life.


His experience working for Preston Manning and the Reform Party is described in his book Waiting for the Wave: The Reform Party and Preston Manning, published in 1995 (2nd ed., 2009). 
 

He managed Stephen Harper’s campaigns for the leadership of the Canadian Alliance (2002) and of the Conservative Party of Canada (2004), as well as the Conservative Party’s national election campaign in 2004.  He was the Senior Communications Adviser in the Conservative war room during the 2005-06 election campaign.  These experiences are described in his book Harper’s Team: Behind the Scenes in the Conservative Rise to Power (2nd ed., 2009).     
 

BRIAN FLEMMING

Brian Flemming, CM, QC, DCL, is a Canadian policy advisor, writer and international lawyer. From 2002 to 2005, he was Chairman of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), a Crown corporation that was created by Canada’s federal Parliament on April 1, 2002, to improve security at Canadian airports and on Canadian aircraft. He acted as CATSA’s first CEO and set up the Crown corporation.

Following his departure from CATSA, Mr. Flemming became a Special Advisor to Sypher-Mueller International, an Ottawa-based consulting firm working primarily in the aviation sector. In August, 2005, he was appointed for a two-year term by the Government of Canada to the new Advisory Council on National Security.         

Previously, in 2000-01, Mr. Flemming was Chairman of the Canadian Transportation Act Review (CTAR) Panel, a major statutory decennial review of Canada’s transport policies. His report to the Government of Canada was widely hailed for its vision and balance. In 2003, he was awarded the National Transportation Week “Award of Achievement”.

Mr. Flemming is a former senior partner of the law firm of Stewart, McKelvey, Stirling & Scales and a former lecturer in public international law at Dalhousie Law`School. He has been chairman as well as a director of scores of public, private and not-for-profit corporations. His public company directorships have included Noranda, Brunswick Mining & Smelting, Enheat, VGM Capital, First Choice Canadian Communications, Azure Resources and Homburg Invest. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Trustees of PDM Royalties Income Fund.

Between 1976 and 1979, he was Assistant Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Pierre E. Trudeau. In recent years, he has spoken at international meetings or universities in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa on transport policy, general security issues, air transport security in Canada and internationally, the war on terrorism and the public international law of the sea.

He has been the vice chairman of the Canada Council for the Arts, a board member of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, chairman of the International Centre for Ocean Development, founding chairman of Symphony Nova Scotia and a board member of: the Canadian Institute of International Affairs, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the Institute for Research on Public Policy, the Van Horne Institute, Pearson College of the Pacific and the International Oceans Institute of Canada.

Mr. Flemming has degrees in science from Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, and in law from Dalhousie University, Halifax. He did post-graduate work in public international law at University College London, England, and at the Hague Academy of International Law, Netherlands. 

He has an honorary doctorate from the University of King’s College  where he was chairman of the Board of Governors for nearly 10 years. He became a Member of the Order of Canada in 1989. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, is married and has two adult children.
 

Robert B. Hamilton

Mr. Hamilton has been an Executive with the Royal Bank Financial Group for the past 18 years where he is involved in financial planning and investments for institutions and individuals, as well as managerial responsibilities. Previously, he was was the senior executive for Royal Trust in western Canada 10 years before his tenure at  RBC. Bob's community service is extensive. He is most proud of his role as a board member of organizations such as the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, Calgary Stampede Foundation, Wilfrid Laurier University Board of Governors, Red Deer College Foundation Board, and as the co-founder of the Tim Hamilton Endowment Scholarship Fund at the Red Deer College and the Wish Foundation of Alberta. He also sits on the board of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and is the co-Chairman of the Hall's relocation to Calgary. Mr. Hamilton's enthusiasm, positive attitude, professionalism, creative approach to problem solving and his ability to successfully encourage others to give back to their community have served him well as a leader in his professional and volunteering activities.
 

Stephen Letwin

Stephen J. J. Letwin was appointed executive vice president, Gas Transportation & International, effective May 1, 2006.

He has overall responsibility for Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. and is responsible for all of Enbridge’s natural gas operations, including the Alliance and Vector natural gas pipelines. In addition, he has oversight of Enbridge Gas Distribution and Enbridge Gas New Brunswick and is responsible for the International business unit, including Enbridge Technology Inc.

Steve recently relocated to Houston, Texas, assuming responsibility as managing director of Enbridge Energy Company, Inc., the general partner of Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. He also is a director of Enbridge Energy Company, Inc.; Alliance Pipeline Inc.; Vector Pipelines Limited; Compañía Logistica de Hidrocarburos (Spain); Mancal Corporation; Gaz Métro Inc.; Noverco Inc.; Tidal Energy Marketing Inc. and Precision Drilling Corporation.

Steve joined Enbridge as president and chief operating officer of Energy Services in 1999 and was appointed group vice president, Distribution and Services in 2001. In addition to being responsible for natural gas distribution operations, he was responsible for leading the relatively new retail energy services business unit to profitability and for its subsequent sale.

Prior to joining Enbridge, he held senior executive positions with a number of companies in the energy transmission, exploration and production sectors. He has been responsible for acquisitions and divestitures; corporate economics and planning; corporate servicesand information systems; and financial services in companies that were involved in gas transmission, oil, refined products, NGLs and electrical power.

Steve’s community involvement includes serving as Patron for UNICEF Alberta, Director of YMCA Calgary, a Member on the Major Donor Committee for the United Way of Calgary, Board of Governors McMaster University and is an Honorary Director of Westpark Hospital in Toronto. These activities are complemented by his designation as an Honorary
Lieutenant Colonel. He is the recent recipient of the Alberta Centennial Medal in recognition for his commitment to community and was named to McMaster University’s Alumni Hall of Fame. Steve also recently joined the Corporate Campaign Committee of Texas Children’s Hospital and is Chairman of the Vintner Campaign Dinner for Cancer Counseling in Houston, Texas.

Steve is a member of the Financial Executives Institute as well as a board and executive committee member of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America. He is a director of the Canadian and American Gas Association and a past Governor for McMaster University.

Steve received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from McMaster University in 1977 and an MBA-Finance from the University of Windsor in 1979. He also is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University and is a Certified General Accountant.

He and his wife have three children.

 

ROBERT S. MILLAR

Robert S. Millar has academic, corporate, government, military and not-for-profit experience. Over a 20 year career, he was an executive in several corporations ranging from oil sands development, downstream petroleum, biotechnology, private medicine and high tech research & development. In 2000 he retired with the rank of Brigadier-General from the Canadian Forces, having served 15 years in the Regular Army and 20 years with the Army Reserve. In 2001 he became the founding President of Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute.

Bob has served on several Boards: Shooting Star Technologies, Eric Technologies Corporation, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Board, Citizen’s Advisory Roundtable (CAR) on the future use of the former Canadian Forces Base Calgary, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Canadian Petroleum Products Institute, Transportation Association of Canada and Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta. He was Chair of a private Research Ethics Board, the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, Prairie Petroleum Association – Marketing, Conference of Defence Associations, Sharing Our Military Heritage Foundation and President of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps Association. Currently, he is Chair of the Calgary Military Museums Society.

Bob has Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from Queen’s University as well as the Queen’s University Public Executive Program certificate. He holds the designation “Officer” in the Order of Military Merit.

 

Hugh Segal

Upon graduation in 1972 from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Canadian history, Hugh Segal served in the public and private sector for thirty-three years before being appointed by Prime Minister Martin to the Senate, as a Conservative, in 2005. In the private sector, he served as Director of Corporate and Investor Relations at John Labatt, Executive Chair of the Tact group of companies (advertising, broadcasting and public affairs), Senior Associate at the Bay Street portfolio management firm of Gluskin Sheff and Associates and President of the Institute for Research on Public Policy. In the public sector, he served as Legislative Secretary to the federal leader of the opposition in Ottawa, to the Premier of Ontario, Associate Secretary of the Ontario Cabinet for Federal provincial relations and Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister.

His involvement with defence began in 1971, when, as a researcher, he co-authored the Blue Paper on National Defence for the Tory Research office in Ottawa. He is a former Chair of the Canadian Institute for Strategic Studies, former Fellow at the Centre for Defence Management at Queen’s, and former Vice Chair (research) of the Canadian International Council. For over twenty years he has lectured in the National Security Course and Flag Officers’ course at the Canadian Forces Staff College in Toronto on a pro-bono basis. A senior fellow at the Queen’s School of Policy Studies, Hugh is also an adjunct professor (public policy) at the Queen’s school of business. He has written over fifty articles on defence and security matters, and edited the IRPP monograph entitled “Geopolitical Integrity” (IRPP, Toronto 2004) on defence policy challenges for Canada. He is an honorary captain in the Canadian Navy, holds Honorary Doctorates from the Royal Military College and the University of Ottawa an is a former Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. A Honorary Commanding Officer of the Fort Henry Guard in Kingston, Hugh was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2003. He sits on various for profit and charitable boards and councils including the International Institute for Strategic Studies in the UK and the Institute for Democratic and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) in Stockholm.

 

MICHAEL SHAW

Michael M. Shaw spent 30 years with the ATCO Group of Companies in a wide variety of roles with increasing responsibility over his career.  He retired from ATCO in September of 2009 and is currently involved with corporate boards, charitable endeavors and fundraising activities.
 
Mr. Shaw graduated with Honours from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree.  He is a member of the World Presidents’
Organization (WPO) and serves on the Board of Directors of Chariot Carriers Inc., Great Western Brewing Co., AVIVA Insurance Canada, Cash Store Financial Services Inc., and ITC Construction Group.
 
He is a Director of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute (CDFAI) and is 2nd Vice President of the Calgary Petroleum Club.  He is past Chair of the Calgary Science Centre. He and his wife Linda also co-chair a fund raising effort for the Kid's Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta - Camp Kindle.
 
Michael and his wife, Linda, have two daughters and reside in Calgary.

 

February 2010
Emulating Obama? Should the Prime MinisterVisit the Liberal Caucus?

  by Jack Granatstein

Now Available:
Winter 2009 Edition of
"The Dispatch"

 

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