Gail Asper

Gail Sheryl Asper (born 1960) is a director and corporate secretary of CanWest Global Communications Corp, president of the CanWest Global Foundation, and managing director and secretary of The Asper Foundation, the private charitable foundation spearheading the establishment of the $300 million Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the daughter of entrepreneur and philanthropist Izzy Asper, she attended Kelvin High School before receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1981 and a Bachelor of Law degree in 1984 from the University of Manitoba. She articled with Halifax, Nova Scotia law firm of Cox Downie & Goodfellow in 1984 and was an Associate Lawyer in Halifax with Goldberg McDonald from 1985 to 1989. In 1989, she joined her father's firm, CanWest, as a corporate secretary and director. She has long been associated with arts and culture as a volunteer, performer, and fund-raiser.

She is associated with the Liberal Party of Canada and endorsed Scott Brison's bid to become leader in 2006.

Ms. Asper has received numerous community service and humanitarian awards and was the 2005 recipient of the Governor-General Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts. In 2007, she was awarded the Order of Manitoba. [http://lg.gov.mb.ca/activities/news/2007/ordermb07.html] In 2008, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. [cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=5447|title=Governor General Announces New Appointments to the Order of Canada]

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