Mary Dawson
Biography:
MARY ELIZABETH DAWSON, C.M., K.C., (June 23, 1942 – December 24, 2023) was a Canadian lawyer, civil servant, and Canada's first Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.
Dawson had a long career with the Government of Canada and oversaw a wide variety of legal issues from within the Department of Justice. She joined the Department in 1970, and retired in 2005 as associate deputy minister, a position she had held since 1988.
Dawson played an central role in the drafting of a number of significant pieces of Canadian legislation: the Access to Information Act, the Privacy Act, the Canada Health Act, the Official Languages Act, the Competition Act, the Customs Act and the Young Offenders Act.
Dawson also played an important role in relation to constitutional matters. She was the final drafter for the patriation package (Constitution Act, 1982) and, until her retirement, drafted, and was the principal legal adviser for, all Constitutional amendments, including the Meech Lake Accord and the Charlottetown Accord. She led the legal team for the Government of Canada on the Quebec Secession Reference and was responsible for the legal advice on, and drafting of, the Clarity Act.
Additionally, Dawson managed the Supreme Court Reference on same-sex marriage for the Government of Canada as well as the preparation of the related legislation. She advised extensively in the area of aboriginal rights.
Dawson's last major public service role that of Canada's Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. She was appointed that position under the Parliament of Canada Act on July 9, 2007 as the Conflict of Interest Act came into force, and held it until her term of office came to an end on January 8, 2018.
After her retirement in 2005, Dawson acted as a consultant on a variety of projects, in both the public and private sectors. In June 2006, she was appointed to the Board of Governors of the Ottawa Hospital, and served on a number of board committees. In 2014 she joined the Board of Help Lesotho.
Dawson was also involved in a number of international activities, as well as various outreach activities in Canada. She held executive positions in the International Bar Association and was a Canadian member of the Joint Steering Committee of the Joint Canada-Russia project on Public Administration Reform in Russia.
Dawson graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Law from McGill University in 1966. She then graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Laws in 1970. She also earned a Diplôme d’études supérieures en droit (droit public) from the University of Ottawa. She was a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society and the Law Society of Ontario while also retaining her membership in her original Bar, the Bar of Quebec, until her retirement from the Department of Justice.
Dawson was made a Queen's Counsel in 1978, and a Member of the Order of Canada in 2007.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Dawson_(civil_servant)