Officer of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: November 19, 2015
• Invested on: September 23, 2016

For her international leadership in privacy rights and for her exemplary public service as the privacy commissioner of Canada.

Jennifer Stoddart has ardently defended the privacy rights integral to a free and democratic society. Trained as a lawyer and a historian, she was a prominent figure in the field of human rights and employment equity before her appointment as CanadaÆs sixth privacy commissioner. During her tenure she revitalized the Commission by leading initiatives that demonstrated how the protection of privacy was still possible, even in the information age. Notably, she recognized that the global reach of social media necessitated a coordinated response and reaffirmed CanadaÆs leadership by rallying the international community to defend privacy rights, setting an example that many others have followed.