Deputy Minister

Hélène Laurendeau — Deputy Minister

Ms. Hélène Laurendeau was appointed Deputy Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada on April 4th, 2016.

Prior to her appointment as Deputy Minister, Ms. Laurendeau served as Associate Deputy Minister for the department, starting in December 2013.

In early 1991, Ms. Laurendeau joined the Public Service with the Department of Justice. She served as Legal Counsel and Senior Legal Counsel for four federal organizations. From 1999 until mid-2011, she held three different senior executive positions at the Treasury Board Secretariat, notably responsible for Labour Relations and Risk Management in Human Resources.

From September 2003 to October 2004, Ms. Laurendeau held the position of Special Advisor to the Clerk of the Privy Council on Cabinet confidences.

Most recently, she served as Senior Vice-President, Policy Branch, of the Public Service Commission of Canada. Her responsibilities there included delegation and accountability, political activities and non-partisanship and appointment policies.

Ms. Laurendeau graduated from the University of Ottawa in 1982 with a B.A. in Arts (Communication) and with a Law degree in 1985. She was called to the Québec Bar in 1986. Ms. Laurendeau practiced administrative, labour relations and human rights law in the private sector from 1986 to 1991.

Raised in the region of Lanaudière, Québec, but with deep roots in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, Ms. Laurendeau completed her high school studies at Collège de l’Assomption. She is the proud mother of two dynamic young adults.

Diane Lafleur – Associate Deputy Minister

Diane Lafleur was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada on May 9, 2016.

Prior to being appointed Associate Deputy Minister of INAC, Ms. Lafleur had served as Assistant Deputy Minister of Federal-Provincial Fiscal Relations and Social Policy at Finance Canada since 2013.

Ms. Lafleur joined the public service in 1997, working at Finance Canada, and has held several different positions leading up to her recent appointment to INAC.

Ms. Lafleur obtained a Bachelor of Arts in International Politics and Economics from Middlebury College. She then went on to complete a Master of Arts in Economics and Canadian Studies at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.