# Sally Merchant

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**Maria Margharita "Sally" Merchant** (October 1, 1919 – April 1, 2007) was a [Saskatchewan](/source/Saskatchewan) television personality and political figure.[1] She was the only Liberal MLA elected to represent [Saskatoon](/source/Saskatoon) in the [Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan](/source/Legislative_Assembly_of_Saskatchewan) from 1964 to 1967. She did not seek re-election in 1967.

## Life and career

She was born **Maria Margharita Smith** in [Yorkton](/source/Yorkton), [Saskatchewan](/source/Saskatchewan), the daughter of [Vincent Smith](/source/Vincent_Reynolds_Smith), a Saskatchewan judge and former MLA for Yorkton. She received a [B.A.](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts) from [Dalhousie University](/source/Dalhousie_University) and a [B.Ed.](/source/Bachelor_of_Education) from the [University of Saskatchewan](/source/University_of_Saskatchewan). In 1941, she married [Captain](/source/Captain_(OF-2)) [Evatt Francis Anthony Merchant](/source/Evatt_Francis_Anthony_Merchant); he was killed in action during [World War II](/source/World_War_II). Her husband's brother was [Robert Thomas Peter Merchant](/source/Robert_Thomas_Peter_Merchant) (1917–2011), a prominent Halifax businessman.[2]

She joined [CFQC-TV](/source/CFQC-TV) (later [CTV](/source/CTV_Television_Network)) in Saskatoon in 1955 and went on to host a television interview show known as *Sally Time*. From 1964 to 1967, she served as a Liberal MLA in the Saskatchewan legislature. In 1967, she was named to the Canadian delegation to the [United Nations](/source/United_Nations). She served in the federal [Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs](/source/Minister_of_Consumer_and_Corporate_Affairs) from 1969 to 1983, and with the [CRTC](/source/Canadian_Radio-television_and_Telecommunications_Commission) from 1983 to 1988. She lectured at the [University of Alberta](/source/University_of_Alberta), the [University of Manitoba](/source/University_of_Manitoba) and the University of Saskatchewan. She died in Saskatoon in April 2007.

## Children

Her son [Anthony "Tony" Merchant](/source/Anthony_Merchant) is a fifth generation lawyer and served from 1975 to 1978 as a Liberal MLA in the Saskatchewan legislature. His wife, [Pana Merchant](/source/Pana_Merchant), was a [Liberal](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Canada) [Senator](/source/Senate_of_Canada) for Saskatchewan from 2002 to 2017 under Prime Ministers Chretien, Martin, Harper, and Justin Trudeau.

Her daughter Adrian Merchant married [Donald Stovel Macdonald](/source/Donald_Stovel_Macdonald) in 1988. Adrian had been previously married to [Otto Lang](/source/Otto_Lang), with whom she had seven children: Maria (d. 1991), Timothy Lang, Gregory, Andrew, Elisabeth, Adrian, and [Amanda Lang](/source/Amanda_Lang).[3] Both Macdonald and Lang were long term Liberal members of Parliament from Ontario and Saskatchewan respectively and both were long term members of the Cabinet of [Pierre Elliot Trudeau](/source/Pierre_Elliot_Trudeau).

## References

1. [Sally Merchant](http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nationalpost/obituary.aspx?n=sally-merchant&pid=87070596)

1. [Robert Thomas Peter Merchant](http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/Deaths.20110108.93253170/BDAStory/BDA/deaths)

1. ["Sally Merchant"](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/sally-merchant/article668953/)

## External links

- [Globe and Mail deaths](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/Deaths.20070407.93093172/BDAStory/BDA/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sally Merchant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Merchant) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Merchant?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.