General Rick Hillier
Former Chief of the Defence Staff
for Canadian Forces

Born in Newfoundland and Labrador, General Rick Hillier joined the Canadian Forces as soon as he could. Having enrolled in the Canadian Forces in 1973 through the Regular Officer Training Plan program, he graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science Degree. After completing his armour officer classification training, he joined his first regiment, the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's) in Petawawa, Ontario. Subsequently, he served with, and later commanded, the Royal Canadian Dragoons in Canada and Germany.

Throughout his career, General Hillier has had the privilege and pleasure of commanding troops from the platoon to multi-national formation level within Canada, Europe, Asia and the United States. He has worked as a staff officer in several headquarters, first at the Army level in Montreal and later at the strategic level in Ottawa.

In 1998 General Hillier was appointed as the first Canadian Deputy Commanding General of III Corps, US Army in Fort Hood, Texas. In 2000 he took command of NATO's Stabilization Force's (SFOR) Multinational Division (Southwest) in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In May 2003 General Hillier was appointed as Commander of the Army and subsequently, in October 2003, he was selected as the Commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul, Afghanistan.

General Hillier was promoted to his present rank and assumed duties as the Chief of the Defence Staff on 4 February 2005.

General Hillier and his wife have two sons, a daughter-in-law, and a new grandson. General Hillier enjoys most recreational pursuits but, in particular, runs slowly, plays hockey poorly and golfs not well at all.

He retired from the Canadian Forces in July 2008.

Rick Mercer
Canada's Funniest Satirist
Host of The Rick Mercer Report

Rick Mercer chronicles, satirizes, and ultimately celebrates all that is great and irreverent about this country. Known as "Canada's Unofficial Opposition," Mercer is our most popular comic, a political satirist who knows exactly what matters to regular Canadians and what makes them laugh.

His top-rated, award-winning CBC show, The Rick Mercer Report – which routinely tramples even its American competitors in the ratings – features his trademark rants, hilarious (and informative) fake newscasts, commercial parodies, and comic encounters with famous Canadians, talking about Canada. More than any other comedian (or journalist for that matter), he talks to Canadian newsmakers with a refreshing candor, and is uniquely able to spin topical hilarity from the people and the things deeply embedded in the national consciousness.

Born in St. John's, Newfoundland, Mercer is a Gemini-winning television host, actor and writer who has starred on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Made in Canada, and Rick Mercer's Talking to Americans, which was watched by millions, and attracted attention across North America; it remains the highest-rated comedy special in Canadian history. He is also the author of two books, Streeters and The Rick Mercer Report: The Book, which were both number one national bestsellers

Richard Alvarez
President and Chief Executive Officer
Canada Health Infoway

Richard Alvarez is known for taking on challenging mandates and building successful organizations.  As President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Health Infoway (Infoway), he has been a catalyst for accelerating the development of electronic health record (EHR) systems in Canada. His work in building strong, collaborative relationships with the federal, provincial and territorial governments, as well as other stakeholders, is creating a solid foundation for EHR progress. 

Leadership has characterized Mr Alvarez’s career, not only with Infoway but also with the Government of Alberta and the Canadian Institute for Health Information. As former president, chief executive officer and ex-officio board member of the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), he played a key role in harnessing the power of information to improve health care and helped CIHI evolve into a highly respected organization with strong ties to the research community.

Thanks to his steadfast vision for reforming Canada's health care system through innovation and technology Richard Alvarez is helping to position our country as a world leader in health care renewal.