Yaprak Baltacioglu

In a distinguished public service career that spans more than 25 years within the federal government, Yaprak Baltacioglu has shaped policy, directed programs, overseen operations, led transformation and had an impact on the direction of government affairs at the highest levels of decision making.

One of Ottawa’s most seasoned deputy ministers, Yaprak has served as a trusted advisor to four Prime Ministers and numerous ministers, Cabinets and departmental officials on programs, issues, legislation, and matters of policy focused on the economy, the environment, social issues, and government operations.

Yaprak was the Secretary of the Treasury Board from 2012 until her retirement in 2018. A respected negotiator, she led collective bargaining for 200,000 core public service employees. Yaprak spent three years as Deputy Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities where she played a key role in administering the government’s stimulus package following the 2008 economic crisis; two years as Deputy Minister of the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food; and almost five years at the Privy Council Office as Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Operations) and as Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet. Earlier in her career, Yaprak held executive level positions at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Environment Canada, where she led international climate change negotiations.

Yaprak holds a Bachelor of Law from Istanbul University, an ICD.D Designation (Institute of Corporate Directors), and a Master of Arts from the Carleton University School of Public Administration. In 2015, she received the Bissett Alumni Award for Distinctive Contributions to the Public Sector from Carleton University. Yaprak is currently the Chancellor of Carleton University, and is a Distinguished Fellow at the University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. She sits on several boards including MDA, Canada’s largest space technology manufacturer and developer, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (where she chairs the strategy committee), Hydro Ottawa, the Institute of Corporate Directors (where she chairs the governance and human resources committee), and The Stratford Festival where she will chair the human resources committee in 2021. Yaprak was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2021.