Dr. Janice MacKinnon,

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

, C.M., S.O.M., FRSC (born January 30, 1947) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

historian and former

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

for the Province of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...

under NDP Premier

Roy Romanow Roy John Romanow (born August 12, 1939) is a Canadian politician and the 12th premier of Saskatchewan from 1991 to 2001. Early life Romanow was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to Tekla and Michael Romanow, who were Ukrainian immigrants from O ...

. She is currently a professor in the Department of History at the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

Early life and education

Born Janice Potter in

Kitchener, Ontario ) , image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , blank_emblem_type = ...

, she attended

Huron University College Huron University College is a university college affiliated with the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. Huron was incorporated on 5 May 1863 and the founding institution of the University of Western Ontario. It was est ...

of the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames Ri ...

, which awarded her an honours BA in 1969. She went on to earn an MA and

from Queen's University.

Political career

From 1991 to 2003, she was a Saskatchewan MLA. In addition to being Minister of Finance, 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. She is chair of the board of directors of the

Institute for Research on Public Policy The Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) is an independent, national, bilingual, not-for-profit organization based in Montreal, Quebec. Its mission is to "improve public policy in Canada by generating research, providing insight and info ...

. She also sits on the board of directors for the Canada West Foundation. In 2003, she was rumoured to be considering running for the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia' ...

in the following year's federal election though she ultimately declined. In 2005, she was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. On January 25, 2008, MacKinnon was named Chair of the Board of Investment Saskatchewan - a Saskatchewan Crown Corporation managing investment capital and financing. MacKinnon sits as an advisor to

Canada's Ecofiscal Commission Canada's Ecofiscal Commission is an independent economics project formed in 2014 by a group of Canadian economists from across the country. Chaired by McGill University economist Christopher Ragan, the group seeks to broaden the discussion of env ...

. In 2019, MacKinnon was named the chair of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Alberta’s Finances by Alberta Premier

Jason Kenney Jason Thomas Kenney (born May 30, 1968) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 18th premier of Alberta from 2019 until 2022 and the leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) from 2017 until 2022. He also served as the member of ...

. The final report outlined 26 recommendations to improve Alberta's finances.

Personal life

She is married to

Peter MacKinnon R. Peter MacKinnon, (born 1947) is a Canadian lawyer and legal academic. MacKinnon served as the president of the University of Saskatchewan from 1999 to 2012. On 1 July 2014, he was named as the interim president of Athabasca University. On 15 ...

, the past President of the University of Saskatchewan. They have two children, Alan and William.

Notes

Selected bibliography

* ''The Liberty We Seek: Loyalist Ideology in Colonial New York and Massachusetts'' () * ''While the Women Only Wept: Loyalist Refugee Women'' () * ''Minding the Public Purse: The Fiscal Crisis, Political Trade-offs and Canada's Future'' ()

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mackinnon, Janice 1947 births Living people Women government ministers of Canada Deputy premiers of Saskatchewan Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Finance ministers of Saskatchewan Queen's University at Kingston alumni Saskatchewan New Democratic Party MLAs Members of the Executive Council of Saskatchewan Academic staff of the University of Saskatchewan University of Western Ontario alumni Politicians from Kitchener, Ontario Politicians from Saskatoon Female finance ministers Women MLAs in Saskatchewan 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians Canadian women historians 20th-century Canadian historians 21st-century Canadian historians Historians from Ontario