Brad Wall recently awarded University of Saskatchewan professors Janice MacKinnon and Douglas Schmeiser the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. The Order is the highest provincial honour.

The Order recognizes current or past long-term residents of the province for work in a variety of areas including arts, agriculture, community service and research.

Schmeiser received both his undergraduate degree and bachelor of law from the U of S. He since served as both a professor and dean of law at the university. He recently published A Settling of Accounts, a story of blackmail, sexual assault and the law.

Beyond the school, Schmeiser has worked as a constitutional advisor with the United Nations, and taught at schools around the world.

MacKinnon is a school of public health professor who from 1991 to 2003 was an NDP member of the province’s legislative assembly. In 1993, she became the first female provincial Minister of Finance, and is the chair of the board of directors for the Institute for Research on Public Policy. She also advises the Federal Finance Minister on economic and fiscal policy.