Backgrounder

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Murray Coolican has held senior management positions in both the private and public sectors.  Between 1992 and 1994, Mr. Coolican was Deputy Minister of the Ontario Native Affairs Secretariat (or ONAS, now the Ontario Secretariat for Aboriginal Affairs), where he was responsible for overseeing all Ontario’s land claims negotiations.  He was also Ontario’s lead negotiator for Aboriginal issues on the Charlottetown round of constitution negotiations.

Prior to working with ONAS, Mr. Coolican held positions as the Executive Director of the Canadian Arctic Resources Committee and Chair of a federal task force on Comprehensive Aboriginal Land Claims Policy.

Mr. Coolican is the former Vice-President, Public Affairs, Nova Scotia Power Inc.; former Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications Ltd.; and former Senior Vice President of Maritime Life.

Most recently, Mr. Coolican was Vice-President of Corporate Affairs at Manulife Financial.

Mr. Coolican’s extensive volunteer services include serving as Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors, Dalhousie University, Halifax; as Chair of the Halifax Metro United Way; and as Chair of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.

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Contacts:

Ginette Albert
Minister’s Office
416-314-2212

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