!Gary G. Mar Q.C. ! Gary Mar is an independent consultant currently working for both Chinese and Canadian companies seeking assistance with trans Pacific trade and investment. His clients include private and publicly traded companies in the fields of energy, medical diagnostic equipment, real estate and environmental technologies. He is a co-founder of Canadian Advantage Petroleum Corporation, a company that has successfully sold Canadian heavy oil directly to independent refineries in China. He previously served as the Province of Alberta’s Representative in Asia from 2011 to 2015. He lead the province’s strategic outreach efforts from his post in Hong Kong and worked with Alberta’s offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, and Taipei. His focus was trade promotion and investment in Alberta with a particular focus on energy. Exports from Alberta and Asian investment in Alberta increased dramatically during his tenure. Gary also served as the Official Representative (Minister-Counselor) of the Province of Alberta to the United States of America in Washington D.C., from 2007 – 2011. He worked extensively with the Alberta energy sector on advocacy issues in Washington DC and many U.S. States. He has a broad network of contacts in both Canada and the U.S. with government and the energy sector. Prior to this, Gary served 14 years as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in the Province of Alberta, Canada. During his time as an elected official, Gary held several Cabinet portfolios – Community Development; Health and Wellness; Education; Environment; and International and Intergovernmental Relations. Before serving Albertans as an elected Member of the Alberta Legislature, Gary practiced criminal, civil, corporate, commercial and real estate law in Calgary, Alberta. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1994, a honourary designation conferred by the Crown in Commonwealth countries and recognized by the courts. He has also been awarded membership to the Order of St. John, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, the Alberta Centennial Medal, the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. Gary has a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) degree from the University of Calgary, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta. Gary and his wife Nancy have three children, Lauren, Jared and Mackenzie.