Gary Mar
| Gary G. Mar | |
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| Alberta Trade Representative to Asia | |
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In office October 2011 – June 30, 2015 |
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| Minister-Counsellor of the Province of Alberta to the United States of America | |
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In office September 27, 2007 – March 16, 2011 |
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| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Calgary Mackay Calgary Nose Creek (1993–2004) |
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In office 1993–2007 |
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| Preceded by | new district |
| Succeeded by | Teresa Woo-Paw |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Gary Glen Mar July 26, 1962 Calgary, Alberta |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Nancy |
| Children | Lauren, Jared, Mackenzie |
| Residence | Edmonton, Alberta |
Gary Glen Mar QC, (simplified Chinese: 马健威; traditional Chinese: 馬健威; pinyin: Mǎ Jiànwēi; born July 26, 1962) is a former Canadian politician in Alberta, Canada. Gary Mar was appointed as the Province of Alberta’s Representative in Asia on October 14, 2011. He led the province’s strategic outreach efforts from his post in Hong Kong, from where he oversaw the province’s five other Asia offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul and Taiwan.
After more than 20 years as an Alberta politician and government official, Gary Mar’s public sector career came to an end on June 30, 2015, when his contract as Alberta’s representative in Asia expired, amid criticism of the former provincial Progressive Conservative administration’s payout of $140,000 as part of a contract it signed with Mar in December 2011.
Mar had served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1993 to 2007 and prior to his diplomatic postings held several Cabinet portfolios – Community Development; Health and Wellness; Education; Environment; and International and Intergovernmental Relations. On December 3, 2007, he was appointed the Official Representative for Alberta in Washington, D.C., and worked in the Canadian Embassy with the official title of Minister-Counsellor of the Province of Alberta to the United States. In March 2011, he resigned his post in order to seek the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta in its 2011 leadership election which he ultimately lost.
Mar was born in Calgary, Alberta as the grandson of Chinese immigrants who came to what is now Alberta before it became a province. He was named after actor Gary Cooper and astronaut John Glenn. The son and grandson of entrepreneurs, Mar spent his early years working in his family's restaurants and other businesses. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) at the University of Calgary (1984) and Bachelor of Laws at the University of Alberta (1987).
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