Kevin Lynch

Honourary Doctor of Laws - Spring 2009

One of the most respected and influential public servants in Canada, Kevin Lynch’s commitment to public service and Canada is unparalleled.

Lynch was appointed clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the cabinet in 2006. As such, he plays a pivotal role in developing the Government of Canada agenda, not only by guiding policy development and implementation, but also as chief public policy adviser to the prime minister. In his previous senior positions, as Canada’s executive director to the International Monetary Fund in Washington, deputy minister of finance and deputy minister of industry, Lynch excelled as a leader in the Government of Canada.

Through the years, Lynch has shown tremendous interest and commitment to Saskatchewan, and, in particular, to the University of Saskatchewan.  As deputy minister of industry, he played a critical role in the development of the government’s innovation agenda, which established the policy foundation that made the Canadian Light Source project at the U of S possible.

Of his strong personal links to the private, academic and non-government sectors, one nominator described Lynch as an architect of the country’s innovation agenda, “an initiative that has transformed the research and technology landscape of the country in many ways critical to its international competitiveness in today’s knowledge economy.”