Robert Marleau is a former Canadian federal public servant and Information Commissioner of Canada

Information Commissioner of Canada

The Information Commissioner of Canada is an independent ombudsman appointed by the Parliament of Canada who investigates complaints from people who believe they have been denied rights provided under Canada's Access to Information Act....

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Beginning in 1970, Marleau served 31 years in the Parliament of Canada

Parliament of Canada

The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...

, 13 of which were as the Clerk of the House of Commons from July 1987 to July 2000.

He earned a B.A. in French literature

French literature

French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...

 from the University of Ottawa

University of Ottawa

The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...

. From July 2000 until his retirement at the end of January 2001, he served as Senior Advisor to the Speaker of the House of Commons

Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons

The Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Canada and is elected at the beginning of each new parliament by fellow Members of Parliament...

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He served as Information Commissioner from 2006 to 2009 before resigning abruptly from his position.