Jean-Pierre Kingsley (born July 12, 1943) is a Canadian civil servant and businessman who served as the president and CEO of the

International Foundation for Electoral Systems The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is an international, non-profit organization, non-profit organisation founded in 1987. Based in Arlington County, Virginia, Arlington, Virginia, United States, the organization assists a ...

(IFES). He was the chief electoral officer of

Elections Canada Elections Canada () is the non-partisan agency responsible for administering elections in Canada, Canadian federal elections and Referendums in Canada, referendums. History Elections Canada is an agency of the Parliament of Canada, and reports ...

before he stepped down in December 2006. On April 28, 2009, he announced his resignation as president of IFES. He was succeeded by Bill Sweeney.

Early life and career

He was born in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

in 1943. He was educated at the Académie De La Salle and went on to earn a

BCom A Bachelor of Commerce (BCom or B Com) is an undergraduate degree in commerce, accounting, mathematics, economics, and management-related subjects. The degree is mainly offered in Commonwealth nations. Structure Bachelor of Commerce The Bach ...

and a master's degree in Hospital Administration from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

. Kingsley was named chief electoral officer in February 1990 by Prime Minister

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 – February 29, 2024) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studi ...

. Prior to serving in that position, he served as: * District manager for Travelers Insurance (1966-7) * Head of hospital administration at the Department of Veteran Affairs (1967–71) * Associate and then executive director of

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

's Charles Camsell Hospital (1971-3) * President and chief executive officer of the

Ottawa General Hospital The Ottawa Hospital's General Campus is one of three main campuses of The Ottawa Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. With 569 beds, the General Campus includes The Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre and the Cancer Centre. The Ottawa General Ho ...

(1977–81) He also served as chairman of the Board for Ottawa's

Montfort Hospital Montfort Hospital (), commonly shortened to Montfort in both English and French, is a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Ottawa. It offers short-term primary and secondary health care, offering service in both the French and E ...

from 1982 to 1990.

Late career

He served as head of the international team observing the Iraqi legislative election in January, 2005 On December 28, 2006, Prime Minister

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...

announced that Kingsley would step down effective February 17, 2007. His successor as chief electoral officer was Marc Mayrand. Prior to his resignation, Kingsley and the ruling

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

party disagreed over whether fees paid to attend political conventions should be counted as political donations. In 2007, Kingsley was awarded the Mexican

Order of the Aztec Eagle The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle () forms part of the Mexican Honors System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners. History It was created by decree on December 29, 1933, by President Abelardo L. Rodríguez as a reward to ...

, the highest award the Mexican government bestows on foreign nationals. In November 2011, he observed the elections in Saint Lucia, as part of a Commonwealth assessment team constituted by the Commonwealth secretary-general. As of November 2020, Kingsley serves as the chairman of the Executive Advisory Committee for

Dominion Voting Systems Dominion Voting Systems Corporation is a North American company that produces and sells electronic voting hardware and software, including voting machines and tabulators, in Canada and the United States. The company's headquarters are in Toro ...

. In 2024, he was appointed as a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

. He lives in

References

Sources

IFES - Board

Entry from Canadian Who's Who
1943 births Canadian civil servants Chief Electoral Officer (Canada) Living people Businesspeople from Ottawa Members of the Order of Canada {{Canada-gov-bio-stub