Mary is Senior Counsel in the Saskatoon office with experience in estate administration as well as navigating areas of public advocacy and government relations. Mary returned to McKercher LLP after serving for more than 7 years in the Saskatchewan Provincial Government. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1982 and her Bachelor of Laws in 1985, both from the University of Saskatchewan. She was honoured with a Queen’s Counsel appointment in 2014.
In her recent roles with the Saskatchewan Government, she served as the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration, Minister of Labour, Minister Responsible for SaskPower, Innovation Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Opportunities Corporation, Saskatchewan Research Council, and the Status of Women. Most recently Mary served as the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General and the Minister Responsible for SaskBuilds, Priority Saskatchewan and the Financial Consumer Affairs Authority. Her experience in Government includes initiatives such as the development of the Provincial Immigration strategy, the establishment of the Global Food Institute, the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation, establishment of Innovation Saskatchewan, construction of the first Women’s Shelter built by the Provincial Government since 1989, the creation of the Office of the Counsel for Children, and changes to the Human Rights Code regarding transgender persons and Kate’s Place, a supportive residence for women who are attending Regina Drug Treatment Court. Mary also assisted with the negotiations for Saskatchewan’s participation in the Cooperative Capital Markets Regulatory System.
Building on her broad Government experience, Mary provides clients assistance by advising them through public policy and regulatory design processes at different levels of government. She assists clients in navigating the often confusing and complicated landscape of government, be it municipal, provincial or federal. Her experience ensures that the proper channels are approached with a message crafted to deliver maximum results for her clients.
Mary has resumed her estate administration practice, assisting clients in planning for the future for their families and communities. She provides leadership to an initiative at McKercher LLP aimed at entrepreneurs in our province. Her personal experience as a member of a family of serial entrepreneurs, provides guidance to a focused group of lawyers dedicated to assisting start-ups with some of the challenges that they face.
