Margaret Purdy was appointed Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Security and Intelligence), Privy Council Office, in November 1998. In this position, she has responsibilities as the Coordinator of Security and Intelligence, as well as Deputy Minister for the policy and operations of the Communications Security Establishment.

Ms. Purdy was born in Nova Scotia in 1949. She obtained a Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) degree from Carleton University in Ottawa in 1971 and a Bachelor of Education degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax in 1975. She attended the National Defence College of Canada in Kingston in 1992-93.

After working as a journalist in Nova Scotia and Ottawa, Ms. Purdy joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in 1975 as a civilian member specializing in protective policing and criminal intelligence analysis. She worked at RCMP Headquarters in Ottawa from 1975-80 and again from 1982-88.

In the 1980-82 period, Ms. Purdy held public information officer positions with the provincial governments of Nova Scotia and British Columbia.

In 1988, she joined the Ministry of the Solicitor General in Ottawa as a Senior Advisor in the Office of the Inspector General of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), moving on to become the Director of Security Operations, National Security Directorate, in 1990.

In 1993, Ms. Purdy was appointed Deputy Director General of the Counter Terrorism Branch of CSIS. She assumed the Director General post in 1994.