An innovator, he has helped to steer public policy and broaden post-secondary education in his home province of Saskatchewan. A public servant and advisor during the mandate of the CCF government, he played a vital role in many of the reforms carried out by that administration, including the birth of the hospital insurance system. Later on, he became a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and enhanced its curriculum through his roles as dean of the College of Commerce and as vice-principal and dean of Arts and Science at the Regina Campus. In addition, he has been involved internationally in a number of economic and educational programs.