Experience: In April 2007, Clare Beckton was appointed Coordinator at Status of Women Canada. Status of Women Canada is the federal department responsible for the coordination of policy with respect to the status of women and the administration of related programs. Ms. Beckton received her LLB and her BA from the University of Saskatchewan and spent an LLM year at the University of Illinois. Clare taught law at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from 1974 to 1984. In 2005, as a Fulbright Scholar, she obtained an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, with a focus on leadership. In recognition of academic excellence, and of an exceptional contribution to public service and leadership, Beckton was awarded the Littauer Fellowship. In 1984, Beckton joined the Human Rights Law Section in the Department of Justice. In 1996, she became Senior General Counsel with Human Resources Development Legal Services until her appointment as Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Aboriginal Affairs, Department of Justice. She led the Aboriginal Affairs Portfolio from 1998 until June 2004. Following her year at Harvard University, she co-led, with the Aboriginal Leadership Institute and other partners, a multi-sectoral Aboriginal Leadership Initiative. Ms. Beckton is the author of a book on The Media and the Law in Canada, as well as of numerous articles on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. She is an acknowledged expert in the domain of equality rights and Aboriginal policy issues.