Michel Perron was re-appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) for a third, five-year term by the Governor in Council of Canada in November 2007. For more than 12 years, Mr. Perron has passionately championed a national and collaborative approach to prevent and address the impacts of substance abuse.
Working with all levels of government as well as the not-for-profit and private sectors, CCSA has successfully led many first-ever national initiatives for Canada, including an overarching national action plan on substance abuse, a national alcohol strategy, a national workforce strategy for professionals working in the field, and a national youth drug prevention strategy. These strategies represent new ways of thinking and working together to deliver practical and tangible results for Canadians.
On the international stage, Mr. Perron is Chair of the Vienna Non-Governmental Organization Committee on Drugs (VNGOC), which serves as the primary link between NGOs and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. He also led the Beyond 2008 initiative—developed by NGOs from more than 115 countries, it represents the most comprehensive, consensus-based declaration and recommendations on global drug policy matters. Today, VNGOC’s work guides and forges new alliances between NGOs, member states and the United Nations to enable countries to find new ways to reduce the impacts and harms associated with substance abuse.
Prior to his appointment with CCSA, Mr. Perron held a number of positions in the federal government with the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, Health Canada and the Office of the Solicitor General. Mr. Perron is a graduate of the University of Winnipeg and the Harvard Business School. He has been married to his wife, Kim, more than 25 years and they have two children, Samantha and Alex.