Maria Margharita "Sally" Merchant (October 1, 1919 – April 1, 2007) was a
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...
television personality and political figure. She was the only Liberal MLA elected to represent
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...
in the
Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, in the na ...
from 1964 to 1967. She did not seek re-election in 1967.
Life and career
She was born Maria Margharita Smith in
Yorkton
Yorkton is a city located in south-eastern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is about 450 kilometres north-west of Winnipeg and 300 kilometres south-east of Saskatoon and is the sixth largest city in the province.
As of 2017 the census population of the ...
,
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...
, the daughter of Vincent Smith, a Saskatchewan judge and former MLA for Yorkton. She received a
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
B.Ed.
A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order for ...
from the
University of Saskatchewan
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Her husband's brother was Robert Thomas Peter Merchant (1917–2011), a prominent Halifax businessman.
She joined CFQC-TV (later CTV) in Saskatoon in 1955 and went on to host a television interview show known as ''Sally Time''. From 1964 to 1967, she served as a Liberal MLA in the Saskatchewan legislature. In 1967, she was named to the Canadian delegation to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
CRTC
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; french: Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes, links=) is a public organization in Canada with mandate as a regulatory agency for broadcasti ...
from 1983 to 1988. She lectured at the
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...
, the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Anthony "Tony" Merchant is a lawyer and served from 1975 to 1978 as a Liberal MLA in the Saskatchewan legislature. His wife,
Pana Merchant
Pana Pappas Merchant (born April 2, 1943) is a Liberal Party of Canada, Liberal Senate of Canada, Senator from the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. She has held the position since her appointment to the Sena ...
, was a
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
Senator for Saskatchewan from 2002 to 2017. When the Prime Ministers were Chretien Liberal, Paul Martin Liberal, Stephen Harper Conservative, and Trudeau the younger, Justin Trudeau Liberal.
Her daughter Adrian Merchant married
Donald Stovel Macdonald
Donald Stovel Macdonald (March 1, 1932 – October 14, 2018) was a Canadian lawyer, politician and diplomat. Macdonald was a long-time Liberal party Member of Parliament and Cabinet minister. In the early 1980s, he headed a royal commission ...
in 1988. Adrian had been previously married to
Otto Lang
:''see also Otto Lang (film producer) and Otto Lang (actor)''
Otto Emil Lang, (born May 14, 1932) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician.
Life and career
Lang was born in Handel, Saskatchewan. In 1961, he was appointed Dean of Law at the ...
, with whom she had seven children: Maria (d. 1991), Timothy, Gregory, Andrew, Elisabeth, Adrian, and Amanda Lang.Both Macdonald and Lang were long term Liberal members of Parliament from Ontario and Saskatchewan respectively and both were long term members of the Cabinet of Trudeau the elder, Pierre Elliot Trudeau.