I rise in this Honourable House today to announce that the Honourable Justice Margaret A. Cameron will be appointed as commissioner of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry on estrogen and progesterone receptor testing for breast cancer patients.

Justice Cameron is highly qualified to lead this important inquiry. She was first appointed to the Trial Division of the Supreme Court in September 1983, becoming the province�s first female and youngest ever Justice of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she worked for the provincial Department of Justice from 1975, having served as an associate deputy minister for the department for two years. She served in Unified Family Court Division until 1985 and was appointed to the Court of Appeal in May 1992.

Justice Cameron will officially begin her work as commissioner on July 3, 2007 and will deliver her final report to the Minister of Health and Community Services on July 30, 2008.

Further details including the Terms of Reference, regarding the inquiry will be publicly announced in the coming weeks as Justice Cameron takes on her duties as commissioner.

I am sure I speak for all Honourable Members when I say that we are pleased that Justice Cameron has agreed to take on this important inquiry and we look forward to receiving her final report next year. Ultimately, we are committed, through this process, to ensuring that the public�s confidence in this area is restored and that all necessary details are disclosed in an open and transparent manner.

2007 06 14                                                 1:45 p.m.