The International Joint Commission is an independent binational organization established by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. Its purpose is to help prevent and resolve disputes relating to the use and quality of boundary waters and to advise Canada and the United States on related questions.

Mr. Schornack served in senior positions under Michigan Governor John Engler (1991-2002), including Special Advisor for Strategic Initiatives, Director of the Office of Health Care Reform and Policy Development and Senior Policy Advisor. During this time, Mr. Schornack and his staff developed and analyzed proposed policies for the Administration regarding health-care reform, both at the state and national levels. Mr. Schornack had been on John Engler's staff since 1984 when he was Executive Assistant for Legislative Affairs to the Senate Majority Leader. Before moving to the Senate with Mr. Engler, Mr. Schornack worked for over five years in the House of Representatives as a Health Policy Analyst. Mr. Schornack began his career as a Rehabilitation Counselor with the Greater Lansing Urban League in 1976.

Mr. Schornack did his undergraduate work at Michigan State University in biology, and speech and hearing science. He graduated with "high honors" in 1975 with B.A. and B.S. degrees. He entered counseling graduate school in the spring of 1975 at Michigan State University and graduated with a Master of Arts degree in 1976. In 1978, Mr. Schornack returned to graduate school at the University of Michigan and graduated a year later with a Masters in Public Health. In 1985, Mr. Schornack entered a unique "on-job, on-campus" doctoral program at the University of Michigan in health policy, which he attended for three years. During the summer of 1993, Mr. Schornack was selected to attend the John F. Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government, at Harvard University. This three-week program provides participants the opportunity to sharpen their problem-solving and analytic skills.

During the early months of the Engler Administration, Mr. Schornack was named Acting Director of the Michigan Department of Public Health and Acting Administrator for Substance Abuse Services, positions he held until full-time administrators could be appointed and confirmed. Governor Engler appointed Mr. Schornack to be Michigan's Commissioner of Low-Level Radioactive Waste (1991-2002). In addition, Governor Engler appointed Mr. Schornack to the board of the regional Great Lakes Protection Fund in 1991, and reappointed him for four additional two-year terms. The Great Lakes Protection Fund is an endowed environmental grant-making fund established by the eight Great Lakes states to support innovative research.

Mr. Schornack co-led the development of Annex 2001, an agreement between the eight Great Lakes states and two Canadian provinces to manage Great Lakes water uses and diversions. He was instrumental in the establishment of the only fresh water national marine sanctuary in America at Thunder Bay, near Alpena, Michigan. Through his leadership on the Great Lakes Protection Fund, he has pioneered efforts by Great Lakes states to develop new technologies to stem the introduction of alien invasive species to the Great Lakes ecosystem and to restore natural hydrological flows in the basin.

Mr. Schornack is an avid golfer and scuba diver who lives in Williamston, Michigan, with his wife, Linda Gobler. He is also an active member of the Potter Park Zoological Society board of directors and St. Luke Lutheran Church.

Herb Gray was born in Windsor, Ontario, on May 25th, 1931, the son of the late Harry and Fannie Gray.

After graduating from Victoria School and Kennedy Collegiate in Windsor, he graduated from the School of Commerce of McGill University (Montreal) and Osgoode Hall Law School (Toronto). He is a member of the Ontario Bar.

He was first elected to Parliament on June 18, 1962 in his initial attempt at gaining public office for what is now called Windsor West, which takes in a large part of the City of Windsor, Ontario. He was re-elected in all twelve subsequent federal elections as a member of the Liberal Party. This constitutes an unequalled record of thirteen consecutive election victories as well as a record for continuous days of service in the House of Commons B 39 years, six months and 26 days.

Prior to September 1984, Mr. Gray served as Chair of the House of Commons Committee on Finance, Trade and Economic Affairs, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance, Minister without Portfolio working with the Minister of Finance, Minister of National Revenue, Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs, Critic on Finance for the Official Opposition, Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce, Minister of Regional Economic Expansion and President of the Treasury Board.

From September 1984 to February 1990, he served as Opposition House Leader. From January, 1989 to February 1990, he was also Deputy Leader of the Opposition. From February 1990 to January 1991, he was Leader of the Opposition. From February 1991 to November 1993, he served again as Finance Critic for the Official Opposition.

On November 4th, 1993, he was appointed Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada which meant he was responsible for all federal law enforcement activities. On June 11th, 1997, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister, the first to occupy that position as a full time cabinet post.

On September 24th, 1997, he was assigned responsibility for development of the Government of Canada’s activities to mark the new millennium. On March 12, 1998, Mr. Gray was designated as the Minister responsible for the Millennium Bureau of Canada. On September 11th, 2000, he was appointed by the Prime Minister as special representative to deal with the longstanding issue of Indian residential schools. He was the Minister responsible for the Office of Indian Residential Schools Resolution of Canada which was created in June 2001.

Mr. Gray ceased to be Deputy Prime Minister and resigned from the House of Commons on January 14, 2002 to become the Chair of the Canadian Section of the International Joint Commission.

On January 15, 2002 the Governor General bestowed on Mr. Gray the title "Right Honourable". He is now one of only 6 Canadians to currently hold the title, in addition to current and former Prime Ministers, Governors General, and Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Mr. Gray worked extensively as a Minister and as an M.P. in the fields of parliamentary affairs, economic and industrial development, foreign investment, finance, consumer protection, competition, international trade, the environment and climate change, and Canada-US border issues.

Mr. Gray, who is bilingual, took part in the work of a number of community organizations in the Windsor area prior to his election to Parliament, including the Jaycees (Windsor President 1961-62), B’nai Brith and the Club Richelieu. He is a member of the Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue in Windsor and the Machzikei Hadas Synagogue in Ottawa.

On July 23, 1967, he married Sharon Sholzberg, a lawyer, originally from Ville St. Laurent (Montreal), Quebec. They have a son, Jonathan David, born October 8, 1971, and a daughter, Elizabeth Anne, born August 5, 1974. Mr. Gray resides in Ottawa, where the Canadian Section Headquarters of the IJC is located.

Mr. Gray can be contacted at: International Joint Commission, 234 Laurier Ave. W., 22nd Floor, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6K6 Tel.: (613) 995-2984 Fax.: (613) 993-5583

Following official acceptance of his nomination on September 2 ^nd , 1998, in Washington, Mr. Robert Gourd has been appointed Commissioner of the International Joint Commission (Canadian Section).

From 1974 to 1978, Mr. Gourd was Assistant General Director of the Liberal Party of Canada (Quebec Chapter). Elected in 1979 and 1980 to the Parliament of Canada (Argenteuil-Papineau), he served as Chairman of the House Standing Committee on Communications and Culture, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of State (Multiculturalism), and Canadian delegate to many international conferences.

More recently, Mr. Gourd has been on the Board of Directors of Telebec and Air Club, Vice-President (Governmental Affairs) for Uniforêt, and Consultant for Bell Canada and Radio-Québec. He is an advisor for Les Productions Guy Cloutier.

Mr. Gourd was also active on the international scene as a member of Team Canada in China and Hong Kong in 1995; India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia in 1996; Korea, Philippines and Thailand in 1997; and Mexico, Brazil Argentina and Chile in 1998.

In 2001 the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, appointed Jack P. Blaney as a Commissioner, International Joint Commission. Prior to this appointment Dr. Blaney was President of Simon Fraser University.

Jack Blaney is also Chair, Fraser Basin Council. This council brings together all levels of government, including First Nations, and the private and civil sectors of society, so that together they may resolve sustainability questions in British Columbia's Fraser River Basin.

In addition Dr. Blaney is co-creator and founding director of Action Canada, a unique public-private partnership whose mission is to identify and nurture future leaders for Canada; a Director of the Vancouver Board of Trade; an Advisor to Children's Arts Umbrella; and a Director of British Columbia's Leading Edge Endowment Fund.

Dr. Blaney was born and lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. His first two degrees were from The University of British Columbia (history, geography, educational psychology) and he earned his doctorate in instructional design and program evaluation from the Graduate School of Education, University of California at Los Angeles.

To date Jack Blaney's career has largely been in higher education, serving both The University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. His chief educational initiatives concerned bringing together university and community so that the full resources of both would be available to both. In this work Jack Blaney increased access to degree completion opportunities, created special undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as liberal arts and professional programs for adults. He also led the creation of Simon Fraser University's major downtown campus (1989) and of the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue (2000), a centre which earns world-wide acclaim for its design and support for dialogue.

Jack Blaney has served on a variety of community boards, such as the Vancouver Museum and Planetarium and the Vancouver Police Department. He is the recipient of several national and regional honours, including the Order of British Columbia.

Irene B. Brooks was appointed as Commissioner to the U.S. Section, International Joint Commission, by President George W. Bush and assumed office on December 3, 2002.

In an era of unique challenges, Irene Brooks has carefully and thoughtfully tread an impressive path as administrator, negotiator and leader. She was appointed by Governor Tom Ridge to represent Pennsylvania on all interstate river basin commissions of which the Commonwealth is a member. Ms. Brooks served as Pennsylvania Commissioner and Executive Director, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Office for River Basin Cooperation from 1995-2002. She coordinated with the Secretary of the Department and the Governor's Office on a variety of interstate issues, including the development of long-range plans and adoption of policies, as well as regulations affecting the water of millions of citizens within fifteen states and two Canadian Provinces. She served as Chair of the Great Lakes Commission from 1998-2000 and Vice Chair from 1996-1998.

In 1989 she was appointed by President George Bush to serve as the United States Commissioner to the Delaware River Basin Commission, a five-member regulatory and quasi-judicial agency managing the water resources within the 13,000-square-mile Delaware River Basin. She helped formulate federal policy, coordinating a consensus among all federal agencies and working with Congressional committees, individual Congressmen and staff members plus state and federal representatives.

Previously, Ms. Brooks was appointed by unanimous vote of the Court of Common Pleas to complete a term as Chester County Commissioner and was subsequently elected to that position. She developed and implemented a comprehensive countywide plan to help protect and preserve the environment, farmland and open spaces, the first of its kind in Pennsylvania. The Chester County Open Space Program has been adopted by other counties across the country and has won several Presidential Awards.

Ms. Brooks graduated cum laude with a Bachelor's degree in political science/public administration from West Chester University. She has received the Mary H. Marsh Medal from the American Water Resources Association, the Stewardship Award from the Delaware River Basin Commission, recognition for her outstanding service from the Great Lakes Commission, the Leadership Award from the Interstate Council on Water Policy and the Outstanding Service to Conservation Award from The Nature Conservancy, among others. She enjoys fly fishing, tennis and exploring the ebbs and flows of notable American tributaries.

Allen I. Olson was appointed as Commissioner to the U.S. Section, International Joint Commission, by President George W. Bush and assumed office on December 3, 2002.

In joining the International Joint Commission, Mr. Olson comes from a distinguished career in public service and private practice. He is currently the President and CEO of the Independent Community Bankers of Minnesota (1988-present). He has worked as a full-time consultant for the Physicians Health Plan of Minnesota and affiliated companies, and in private law practice in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Mr. Olson served as Governor of North Dakota (1980-1984) and as Attorney General of North Dakota (1972-1980). Previously, he was Senior Partner of a law firm in Bismarck, North Dakota, and Assistant Director of the North Dakota Legislative Council. He served in the U.S. Army as Appellate and Trial Counsel in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (1963-1967) and as Chief of Military Justice in Munich, Germany (1967).

Mr. Olson earned a J.D. degree at the University of North Dakota College of Law, a B.S. and B.A. at the University of North Dakota College of Business and Public Administration, and attended the U.S. Army Judge Advocate Generals School at the University of Virginia.

Mr. Olson has served in many other capacities including as a member of the International Flood Mitigation Initiative for the Red River Basin, Chairman of the Board for the Red River Trade Council Inc., and Trustee for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. He is a member of the Citizens League, an organization that provides forums to involve citizens in public policy formation, the Center of the American Experiment and the Christ Presbyterian Church in Edina, Minnesota. He and his wife, Barbara Benner, have three children and five grandchildren.