The Honourable Wayne Wouters awards JSGS student, Larissa Shasko, with a scholarship in his name

The Johnson Shoyama Graduate School was delighted to welcome the Honourable Wayne Wouters, former Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet, to the University of Regina campus on November 27, 2019.

With a distinguished 37-year career in the federal public service, including five years serving as the Clerk of the Privy Council of Canada, Mr. Wouters spoke to students about some of his key lessons learned while in government. Following his talk, Mr. Wouters was pleased to present Larissa Shasko with the 2018 and 2019 Wayne Wouters Scholarships.  Established through donations provided by friends of Mr. Wouters, this scholarship assists students who are pursuing an MPP or Master of Public Administration degree in the school, and who maintain an average about 80% and demonstrate proactive engagement in philanthropic endeavours or community service. 

The 2018 and 2019 recipient, Larissa Shasko, is a Master of Public Policy candidate at the school’s University of Regina campus and is the former Leader of the Green Party of Saskatchewan (2009-2011). In addition to being an exceptional student and environmental and political activist, Larissa is also a gifted artist, a dedicated volunteer, and a loving mother of two young children. She is currently completing her research on her master’s thesis, “Blurring Divisions in a Fuzzy World.  Innovation, Public Engagement and Energy Justice,” under the supervision of Dr. Margot Hurlbert (PhD), JSGS professor and Canada Research Chair.

“Larissa is much deserving of this scholarship. She is a hardworking student and a brilliant and independent thinker,” says Hurlbert. “As her supervisor, I can attest to the quality of her work. It is really quite impressive.”

In addition to her academic endeavours, Larissa volunteers her time by supporting youth engagement initiatives on the topic of climate change, including helping to connect local students with opportunities to have their voices heard in what has become the Friday Climate Strikes. Last year, she also worked tirelessly with the Regina Policy Shop, linking students with local community organizations so that they could provide professional-quality research services at no cost.

The Johnson Shoyama Graduate School would like to congratulate Larissa on her scholarship and would like to thank the Honourable Wayne Wouters for his continued support of our school and students.

About the Honourable Wayne Wouters, OC, PC

As Clerk, Mr. Wouters held the roles of Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister, Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Public Service, providing direct advice and support to the Prime Minister on all issues affecting and implicating the federal government. During his tenure as Clerk, he played a pivotal role in major Government of Canada initiatives, including public sector strategies such as Canada’s Economic Action Plan to address the recent financial crisis; led large and complex institutional transformations; and enhanced Canada’s international trade relations including important changes to regulatory regimes like Investment Canada. In 2013 and 2014, he led Blueprint 2020 an unprecedented, national and web-enabled consultation process engaging nearly 110,000 public servants from coast to coast. This initiative was designed to capture their views and aspirations and articulate a vision for a world-class public service equipped to serve Canada and Canadians now and into the future.

Retiring from the public sector in 2014, Mr. Wouters is now a strategic and policy advisor to McCarthy Tetrault LLP. In 2017, he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Mr. Wouters completed his MA in Economics at Queen’s University and his BComm Honours (with Distinction) from the University of Saskatchewan. He has also received Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Manitoba.