Marguerite J Trussler is the Ethics Commissioner of the Canadian Province of Alberta, an Officer of the Provincial Legislature.

Education

Trussler received her B.A. in 1969, her

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1970 from the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

. She received her

LL.M. A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

in 1974 from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

, and her

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

in 2012 from the University of Alberta.

Career

Trussler served a

Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta The Court of King's Bench of Alberta (abbreviated in citations as ABKB or Alta. K.B.) is the superior trial court of the Canadian province of Alberta. During the reign of Elizabeth II, it was named Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta. The Court w ...

judge from 1986 to 2007. Arguably, the highest profile case she heard in her years on this Bench was the

Charles Ng Charles Chi-tat Ng (born Ng Chi-tat) ( zh, t=吳志達, j=ng4 zi3 daat6; born 24 December 1960) is a Hong Kong-born convicted serial killer who committed numerous crimes in the United States. He is believed to have raped, tortured, and murder ...

extradition hearing, when American journalists filled her court to follow the proceedings. She also served as chair of the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission from 2007 to 2014.

Office of the Ethics Commissioner

Trussler was endorsed by the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in May 2014, during the early months of the tenure of then Alberta Premier

Dave Hancock David Graeme Hancock (born August 10, 1955) is a Canadian lawyer and was the 15th premier of Alberta in 2014. Since 2017, he has served as a judge of the Provincial Court of Alberta. From 1997 to 2014, he was a Member of the Legislative Ass ...

, who served as interim leader of the Progressive Conservative Association. The Ethics Commissioner is an "independent officer of the legislature responsible for investigating complaints made against MLAs under the Conflict of Interest Act, providing advice to members on ethics issues and reviewing MLA disclosure statements." Then

Lieutenant Governor in Council The King-in-Council or the Queen-in-Council, depending on the gender of the reigning monarch, is a constitutional term in a number of states. In a general sense, it refers to the monarch exercising executive authority, usually in the form of app ...

, Donald Stewart Ethell appointed Trussler following the recommendation of the MLAs. Trussler succeeded Neil Wilkinson, a former Progressive Conservative party member. Before serving as Commissioner, Wilkinson served as the chair of Edmonton’s now-defunct Capital Health Region. His investigations into Peter Sandhu, a former MLA, and former premier

Alison Redford Alison Merrilla Redford (born March 7, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician. She was the 14th premier of Alberta, having served in this capacity from October 7, 2011, to March 23, 2014. Redford was born in Kitimat, British Columbia ...

, were heavily criticized by all three opposition parties.

Family

Trussler is the wife of Sir Francis Price, 7th Baronet, .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trussler, Marguerite Canadian King's Counsel Lawyers in Alberta Judges in Alberta University of Alberta alumni Living people Wives of baronets 1946 births