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Janice MacKinnon

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Doctor
Janice MacKinnon
Member of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly
for Saskatoon Idylwyld
In office
June 21, 1995 – September 30, 2001
Preceded byEric Cline
Succeeded byDavid Forbes
Member of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly
for Saskatoon Westmount
In office
October 21, 1991 – June 21, 1995
Preceded byJohn Edward Brockelbank
Succeeded byEric Cline[1]
Personal details
Born
Janice Potter

(1947-01-30) January 30, 1947 (age 77)
Kitchener, Ontario
Political partyNew Democratic Party
Residence(s)Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Alma materUniversity of Western Ontario
Queen's University
OccupationAcademic

Janice MacKinnon, Ph.D, C.M., S.O.M., FRSC (born January 30, 1947) is a Canadian academic and former politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (MLA) from 1991 to 2001, and as Minister of Finance under New Democratic Party Premier Roy Romanow. She is currently a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Saskatchewan.[2]

Early life and education

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Born Janice Potter in Kitchener, Ontario, she attended Huron University College of the University of Western Ontario, which awarded her a bachelor's degree in 1969. She went on to earn a master's degree and doctorate from Queen's University. She joined the University of Saskatchewan in 1975.[3]

Political career

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From 1991 to 2001, MacKinnon was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (MLA). In addition to being Minister of Finance from 1993 to 1997, she also held the following ministerial positions at various times: Minister of Social Services, Minister of Economic and Co-operative Development, Minister Responsible for Trade, Research and Investment, and Government House Leader. As Finance Minister, she was known by the nickname "Combat Barbie" for her conviction to cut spending in a bid to recover the province's finances, which were in near ruin when Grant Devine's Progressive Conservative government was swept from power in 1991.[4][5]

MacKinnon resigned from the Cabinet of new NDP leader Lorne Calvert on March 2, 2001, and resigned her seat in the Legislature on September 30. David Forbes replaced her when he won a November 8 by-election. In 2003, she published a book entitled Minding the Public Purse about her time as Finance Minister and fiscal policy in Canada.[4]

In 2003, MacKinnon was rumoured to be considering running for the Liberal Party of Canada in the following year's federal election, but she ultimately declined.[6]

Post-political life and career

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After resigning from the Saskatchewan Legislature, MacKinnon returned to teaching at the University of Saskatchewan.[7]

She is chair of the board of directors of the Institute for Research on Public Policy. She also sits on the board of directors for the Canada West Foundation.[8] In 2008, MacKinnon was named Chair of the Board of Investment Saskatchewan, a Saskatchewan Crown Corporation managing investment capital and financing.[9]

MacKinnon sits as an advisor to Canada's Ecofiscal Commission.

In 2019, MacKinnon was named the chair of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Alberta’s Finances by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney.[10] The panel's final report outlined 26 recommendations to improve Alberta's finances.[11][12]

In 2023, MacKinnon was named to the first tribunal formed under the Saskatchewan First Act, which was tasked with examining the economic impact of proposed federal clean electricity regulations.[13]

Personal life

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MacKinnon is married to Peter MacKinnon, a former president of the University of Saskatchewan. They were married in 1974 and have two children.[7]

In 2005, MacKinnon was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 2012, she was named to the Order of Canada.[14] In 2013, she was named one of the Top 25 women of influence in Canada's public sector.[3]

Electoral record

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1999 Saskatchewan general election: Saskatoon Idylwyld
Party Candidate Votes %
New Democratic Janice Mackinnon 3,144 53.89
Saskatchewan Martin Boser 1,333 22.85
Liberal Tim Ponto 977 16.75
New Green Maisie Shiell 258 4.42
Progressive Conservative Kenneth J. Klassen 122 2.09
Total 5,834 100.00
1995 Saskatchewan general election: Saskatoon Idylwyld
Party Candidate Votes %
New Democratic Janice Mackinnon 4,064 62.94
Liberal Bonnye Georgia 1,646 25.49
Progressive Conservative Kent Latimer 747 11.57
Total 6,457 100.00
1991 Saskatchewan general election: Saskatoon Westmount
Party Candidate Votes %
New Democratic Janice Mackinnon 5,505 65.33
Liberal Myron Luczka 1,913 22.70
Progressive Conservative George Turanich 1,008 11.96
Total 8,426 100.00

Notes

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  1. ^ Saskatoon Mount Royal
  2. ^ "Primary and Joint faculty". University of Saskatchewan School of Public Health. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  3. ^ a b "U of S Professor Janice MacKinnon named as one of Canada's Top 25 Women of Influence". University of Saskatchewan. 2013-09-12. Archived from the original on 2016-11-07. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  4. ^ a b Simpson, Jeffrey (2003-05-10). "Fiscal lessons from 'Combat Barbie'". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2023-10-11. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  5. ^ Although MacKinnon has at times been called Canada's first female finance minister, Bette Stephenson became Ontario's treasurer in 1985—effectively the province's finance minister; Ferrier MacKay, Susan (2019-09-06). "Dr. Bette Stephenson, 95, was a trailblazer in Ontario politics with many 'first female' titles to her name". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2019-10-05. Retrieved 2023-10-11.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Simpson, Jeffrey (2003-09-04). "A chance to change the political map". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  7. ^ a b "MacKinnon, Janice, 1947-". Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan. Archived from the original on 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  8. ^ Canada West Foundation List of Board of Directors, Accessed 22 May 2008. Archived 29 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Regina Leader Post, January 25, 2008; Archived March 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Investment Saskatchewan. Archived 2007-04-24 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Graney, Emma (2019-07-25). "Mackinnon made 'draconian' cuts in Saskatchewan, but says Alberta in better shape". National Post. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  11. ^ Lo, Tricia (2019-09-04). "Q&A with Janice MacKinnon, architect of proposed path to balanced budget in Alberta". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2019-11-02. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  12. ^ Blue Ribbon Panel on Alberta’s Finances (August 2019). Report and recommendations : Blue Ribbon Panel on Alberta's Finances (Report). Edmonton: Alberta. Treasury Board and Finance.
  13. ^ Simes, Jeremy (2023-11-28). "Provincial government uses Sask. First Act for 1st time to review federal electricity regulations". CBC News. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on 2023-11-29. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  14. ^ MacPherson, Colleen (2013-01-10). "Janice MacKinnon named to Order of Canada". University of Saskatchewan. Archived from the original on 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2023-10-11.

Selected bibliography

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  • The Liberty We Seek: Loyalist Ideology in Colonial New York and Massachusetts (1983) (ISBN 0674530268)
  • While the Women Only Wept: Loyalist Refugee Women (1993) (ISBN 0773513175)
  • Minding the Public Purse: The Fiscal Crisis, Political Trade-offs and Canada's Future (2003) (ISBN 0773527494)

References

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