Peter MacKinnon

R. Peter MacKinnon, OC KC (born 1947) is a Canadian lawyer and legal academic. MacKinnon served as the president of the University of Saskatchewan from 1999 to 2012. On 1 July 2014, he was named as the interim president of Athabasca University.^[1]

R. Peter MacKinnon OC KC
Interim President of Dalhousie University
In office 15 January 2019 – 15 January 2020
Chancellor	Anne McLellan
Preceded by	Richard Florizone
Succeeded by	Deep Saini
Interim President of Athabasca University
In office 1 July 2014 – 10 October 2016
Preceded by	Frits Pannekoek
Succeeded by	Neil Fassina
8th President of the University of Saskatchewan
In office 1999 – 30 June 2012
Chancellor	Peggy McKercher W. Thomas Molloy Vera Pezer
Preceded by	George Ivany
Succeeded by	Ilene Busch-Vishniac
Personal details
Born	1947 (age 77–78) Prince Edward Island
Nationality	Canadian
Spouse	Janice MacKinnon
Alma mater	Dalhousie University Queen's University University of Saskatchewan
Occupation	Academic administration
Profession	Legal academic
Awards	Order of Canada
Website	www.dal.ca/dept/senior-administration/president.html

On 15 January 2019, MacKinnon started serving as interim president of Dalhousie University upon the resignation of Richard Florizone and served until the announcement of the next president, Deep Saini.^[2][3]

Biography

Born in Prince Edward Island, he received a BA from Dalhousie University, an LL.B from Queen's University and a LL.M from the University of Saskatchewan. He is a member of the Ontario Bar and Saskatchewan Bar. He was created a Queen's Counsel in 1990. He is married to Janice MacKinnon, a Canadian historian and former minister of finance for the Province of Saskatchewan. They have two children, Alan and William.

In 1975, he joined the faculty of the University of Saskatchewan as an assistant professor of law. He became an associate professor in 1978 and a professor in 1983. He served as chair of the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association from 1983–84.^[4] From 1979 to 1981, he was the assistant dean of law and was the dean of law from 1988 to 1998. In 1999, he was appointed the eighth president of the University of Saskatchewan. On March 9, MacKinnon announced that he would be stepping down as president of the University of Saskatchewan, effective June 30, 2012.^[5] He is succeeded by Ilene Busch-Vishniac, former provost and vice-president (academic) at McMaster University.^[6]

From 2003 to 2005, he was the chairman of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, the organization representing Canada's universities.

In 2006, it was reported that he was one of three "short list" candidates to be recommended to be appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada replacing the retired justice John C. Major.^[7]

In 2011, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada "for his contributions to education and for his commitment to innovation and research excellence".^[8]r

In 2012, the Board of Governors of the University of Saskatchewan renamed the College Building the Peter MacKinnon Building.^[9]

Controversies

In May 8, 2025, Peter MacKinnon published an opinion story demanding that the University of Saskatchewan end its programs to encourage equity, diversity and inclusion, with the claim that this program is part of an 'ideological crusade' that 'disparages merit, distorts our history and rests on the proposition that a white majority population has perpetrated a wide and pervasive racist agenda against others.'^[10] In response, and without naming MacKinnon by name, University of Saskatchewan President Peter Stoicheff noted that MacKinnon's allegations were 'serious and misguided', and noted the institution's obligations under The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code to eliminate discrimination in recruitment. Further, Stoicheff noted the university's robust academic freedom protections under the University of Saskatchewan Faculty Association Collective agreement.^[11]