U of S Nation Builders
Individuals from Saskatchewan have played a disproportionately large role on the national stage and beyond in championing human rights and social justice, with their contributions helping to build a nation.
It’s particularly noteworthy that many of those who have had key roles in creating, promoting and defending laws that safeguard the fundamental rights of Canadians -- and indeed of others around the world -- have deep roots in the University of Saskatchewan. Here are a few contributors from a long list.
John Diefenbaker
Key contributions: Introduced Canada’s first federal Bill of Rights in 1960 and amended Canada’s Elections Act to extend the franchise to Indigenous people, enabling them to vote f...
Emmett Hall
Key contributions: Hall is widely recognized as the father of Canada’s medicare system. His most influential judicial legacy is a dissenting opinion that recognized Indigenous titl...
Hilda Neatby
Key Contributions: Neatby influenced the course of education in Canada with her 1953 bestseller, So Little for the Mind.
Albert Johnson
Key contributions: In a long career dedicated to public service, Johnson had a pivotal role in the introduction of medicare plans, both provincially and nationally.
Ted Hughes
Key contributions: Perhaps best known for his tireless work as chief adjudicator in Indian residential school settlement claims, Hughes also made a remarkable contribution national...
Ellen Schmeiser
Key contributions: Her recommendations as a special adviser to the Saskatchewan Attorney General’s Department led to the 1980 Matrimonial Property Act, considered trail-blazing leg...
Walter Tarnopolsky
Key contributions: Tarnopolsky was a pioneer in Canadian human rights law and a champion of civil liberties.
Roy Romanow
Key contributions: As head of the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada, Romanow consulted citizens widely in 2001-02 and drew national attention to the value of public...
Tom Molloy
Key contributions: Over the past three decades, Molloy has played a leading role in concluding several key treaty settlements that changed the face of the country.
William Deverell
Key contributions: A renowned author, Deverell also is a successful lawyer, environmentalist and a founder and honorary director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association...
Ken Norman
Key contributions: Norman served as the first chief commissioner of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission from 1979 to 1983 and was the principal author of the 1979 Saskatchewan...
Elizabeth Dowdeswell
Key contributions: As a senior federal bureaucrat in the 1980s, she contributed to Canada’s role in establishing the United Nations climate strategy and was the country’s delegate ...
Raynell Andreychuk
Key contributions: The first woman from Saskatchewan to be appointed to the Senate, Andreychuk has contributed nationally and internationally to advancing human rights. ...
Ralph Goodale
Key Contributions: Now in his ninth term as an MP, Goodale has served on cabinet in numerous portfolios, including minister responsible for Indian Residential Schools Resolution Ca...
David Arnot
Key contributions: He was appointed the federal director general of aboriginal justice in 1994, and was named by the federal government in 1997 to serve for a decade as Saskatchewa...
Bill Rafoss
Key contributions: Acclaimed on June 4 as board chair of Amnesty International Canada, Rafoss has been on the organization’s board since 2015.
Patricia Monture
Key contributions: Well known for her work on Indigenous and women’s rights, Monture served on major inquiries convened on these issues, including the Royal Commission on Aborigina...