- John Mercer Reid
John Mercer Reid, PC (born
February 8 ,1937 ) is the formerInformation Commissioner of Canada , former president of theCanadian Nuclear Association , and a former politician.Reid was first elected to the
Canadian House of Commons in the 1965 election as a LiberalMember of Parliament (MP). In the 1968 federal election, he was returned as Canada's sole Liberal-Labour MP, although he remained in the Liberalcaucus . The Liberal-Labour label was a reflection of a longstanding tradition in the riding ofKenora—Rainy River aimed at deflecting votes from theNew Democratic Party , rather than as a mark of political dissent.After the 1972 election, Reid was redesignated as a Liberal MP and became
parliamentary secretary to thePresident of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada , and worked on issues such as improving the access of MPs to government records.In
1978 , Reid joined the Cabinet of Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau as Minister of State for federal-provincial relations, and remained in that position until the defeat of the Liberal government in the 1979 election. Reid remained an MP until his own defeat in the 1984 election.In his post-political career, Reid became a public affairs consultant. He served as president of the Canadian Nuclear Association from
1990 until1995 . He then represented Canada on theOrganisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe 's Mission toBosnia and Herzegovina , and was also a member of the Provisional Election Commission responsible for writing and implementing an Election Act. He was also an advisor to the Chief Electoral Officer on UN Transitional Administration in EasternSlovenia .In
1998 , Reid was appointed Information Commissioner of Canada for a seven-year term. The Information Commissioner of Canada is an independentombudsman who investigates complaints from those who believe they have been denied rights to government information under the "Access to Information Act".External links
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