By Denis Carmel
HAWKESBURY – Quietly, on Dec. 29, Judith LaRocque (above) passed away, in her home in Hawkesbury, Ont.
Judith received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Carleton University in 1979, and a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration from the same university in 1992.
But most of us knew her at Canadian Heritage where she was deputy minister (2002-2010) and, previously as associate deputy minister.
A respected civil servant, she started her career at Rideau Hall, as secretary to the Governor General, (1990-2000), where she followed Ray Hnatyshyn, after he had been appointed GG. She had been his chief of staff.
After playing a leadership role in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, she was appointed as Canada’s ambassador to the OECD, in Paris (2010-2015.)
After retiring, she served as vice-chair and interim chair of the CRTC, between Jean-Pierre Blais and Ian Scott, and then as chair of the board of the Canadian Museum of Nature, as well as on the boards of the Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity and the Hawkesbury General Hospital.
Always calm, Judith always kept her unique smile even in tense situations. Our thoughts are going to her family and friends.
Image borrowed from banffcentre.ca.
