MacKinnon received an honours BA from the University of Western Ontario in 1969, and an MA and PhD from Queen's University. From 1991 to 2003, she sat as a New Democratic Party member of Saskatchewan's Legislative Assembly. Throughout her political career, she managed a wide variety of portfolios, serving as chair of the Crown Investments Corporation, Minister of Social Services, Minister responsible for Economic and Co-operative Development, and Trade, Research and Investment, and was Government House Leader. A political trailblazer, she was appointed as Canada's first female provincial Minister of Finance in 1993.

MacKinnon also serves as chair of the board of directors for both Investment Saskatchewan and the Institute for Research on Public Policy, is president of the Saskatoon Co-operative Society and is a member of the board for the Canada West Foundation. Most recently, she was named chair of Canada's Economic Advisory Council, a group of 10 distinguished business and academic leaders advising the Federal Finance Minister on economic and fiscal policy. She is also a member of the National Task Force on Financial Literacy with the goal of developing sound fiscal advice for Canadian families.

A native of Bruno, Saskatchewan, Schmeiser received his BA with distinction from the University of Saskatchewan in 1954, and in 1956 earned his LLB with great distinction. He was the recipient of the T.D. Brown Prize as the U of S college’s most distinguished graduate. He served as professor and dean of law, and has been a member of several advisory councils for federal, provincial and territorial conferences including Meech Lake and the Charlottetown Accord. He was also chair of the Law Reform Commission of Saskatchewan, and served as director of both the Saskatoon Bar Association and the Saskatoon Association on Human Rights.

Following his passion for education and the rule of law, Schmeiser has participated in several international projects, serving as a constitutional advisor with the United Nations to the Parliament of the Maldives from 2006 to 2008, a member of Inception Mission to Ethiopia in 2000, and a consultant with the Commonwealth Office in Zimbabwe. During his career, Schmeiser has lectured and taught at universities around the world. In the local community, he has volunteered extensively with the Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre.

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For more information, contact:

Mark Ferguson
University Communications
University of Saskatchewan
Tel: (306) 966-1851
Email: m.ferguson@usask.ca