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Message from the Commissioner

As the recently appointed Commissioner of Review Tribunals (Canada Pension Plan/Old Age Security), I am honoured to lead an organization whose mission and vision aligns with my personal and professional values of excellence, integrity, accountability, efficiency as well as dignity and empathy.

It is with much conviction in the overall importance of an independent appeals process within the CPP and OAS systems that I am committed to doing my best – and bringing out the best in all others involved – such that the Review Tribunals process, hearings and decisions are of the highest quality.

We appreciate the importance of each and every one of the over 4,000 appeals heard every year in more than one hundred locations across Canada, and the significance of the fact that most all of these relate to disability pensions. We will continue to demonstrate the innovation and flexibility required by a leading edge administrative tribunal focused on working with the laws of Canada to resolve appeals expeditiously with the utmost of respect for all concerned.

We trust that your visit to our website was helpful to you, and as with all that we do, welcome your feedback by telephone or by email as per our “Contact Us” coordinates, including how we could better serve you.

Sincerely

Julie E. Gagnon

About the Commissioner

Julie E. Gagnon was appointed to a five year term as Commissioner on June 21, 2010.

She brings to this role over twenty five years of cross-Canada experience as a bilingual administrative/regulatory and taxation counsel in private, corporate, public and multidisciplinary practice of law and as an executive with federal and provincial governments, established international companies and start up ventures.

Her most recent role was that of Executive Director with the Appeals and Litigation Branch of British Columbia’s Ministry of Finance (previously Ministry of Small Business and Revenue). Prior to that, she spent twelve years in Alberta working as counsel and as a business development manager primarily in the oil and gas pipeline industry as well as in the commercial and industrial property taxation realm.

During the first part of her career in Ontario, she was a Member of the Ontario Municipal Board and an associate at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt. She also completed various assignments with the federal government addressing GST, customs/trade, French Common Law terminology/decision-writing and labour arbitration considerations.

Originally from Sturgeon Falls in Northern Ontario, Julie completed two years of bilingual undergraduate studies at Laurentian University in Sudbury prior to an early admission to the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of French Common Law, where she graduated with an LL.B. in 1984. During her articles at Gowlings, she started teaching part time and undertook graduate studies at her alma mater up until 1989, where she obtained a Diploma in Specialized Legal Studies in Public Law. She was called to the Bar of the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1987 and to that of the Law Society of Alberta in 1997, and has since been a Member.