Gary was born and raised in Meadow Lake in the Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River riding. Gary and his wife Lori have four children and two grandsons: Kent & Rebekah, Mac & Hannah, Nicole & Washington (Nathaniel and Eli), and Alex & Sam. They are very proud of the lifelong values their children inherited from growing up in a great community.
Gary has lived, worked, played, volunteered and served there his entire life. He graduated from Carpenter High School in 1983 and went on to study at the University of Saskatchewan and Briercrest Bible College. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CGA) and was a partner in the accounting firm Pliska Vidal & Co. where he served clients for over 30 years until July 2019.
Gary was elected Mayor of the City of Meadow Lake in September of 2011 and served his community for three terms until his resignation in April of 2019. He was elected Vice‑Chair of the Saskatchewan City Mayors Caucus from 2016 to 2018. He was appointed to the SaskWater Board of Directors in 2008 where he served nearly a decade until 2017. During that time, he held various roles including Chair of the Governance and Corporate Responsibility Committee, Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee and finally, Chair of the Board from 2015‑2017. In 2012 he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Over the years, Gary has volunteered in a variety of leadership capacities in his local church as well as on the board of Bethel Gospel Camp, an inter‑denominational children's bible camp. Other volunteer activities include coaching and managing minor hockey, baseball, and soccer teams.
Gary was first elected to the 43rd Parliament in the 2019 election, defeating the incumbent NDP Member of Parliament. Gary was appointed to Andrew Scheer's Shadow Cabinet as the Shadow Minister for Indigenous Services - a position he maintained in the Erin O'Toole led Opposition. In the 2021 election, Gary was again victorious - by an even greater margin than the previous election! Gary's important work on the Indigenous file continues in the 44th Parliament, continuing to serve as the Shadow Minister for Indigenous Services in the Pierre Poilievre led Official Opposition. Gary works tirelessly for all of the residents of Desnethè - Missinippi - Churchill River and can always be found addressing issues of importance to his constituents.
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