Director of Public Prosecutions

BRIAN J. SAUNDERS is the Director of Public Prosecutions, a position he has held since May 28, 2009. Before being appointed as Director, he served as the Acting Director from December 12, 2006, when the Director of Public Prosecutions Act came into force establishing the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Before assuming these duties, Mr. Saunders held various positions within the Department of Justice Canada including Assistant Deputy Attorney General (Criminal Law), Assistant Deputy Attorney General (Citizenship, Immigration and Public Safety) and Senior General Counsel and Director General of the Ottawa Civil Litigation Section.

Mr. Saunders has a B.A. and an LL.B. from the University of Alberta and an LL.M. and a Diploma in Legal Studies from Cambridge University. He is a member of the Bar of Ontario.

Mr. Saunders has had considerable experience in litigation involving the federal government, in the areas of human rights, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, administrative law, and criminal law. He is a co-author of Federal Courts Practice, an annual publication since 1988, and of the Annotated Crown Liability and Proceedings Act 1995.