[1] Mar served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1993 to 2007 and prior to his diplomatic postings held several Cabinet portfolios – Community Development; Health and Wellness; Education; Environment; and International and Intergovernmental Relations.

[5] After more than 20 years as an Alberta politician and government official, Gary Mar's public sector career came to an end on June 30, 2015, when his contract as Alberta's representative in Asia expired, amid criticism of the former provincial Progressive Conservative administration's payout of $140,000 as part of a contract it signed with Mar in December 2011.

[7] The son and grandson of entrepreneurs, Mar spent his early years working in his family's restaurants and other businesses.

He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1994, an honorary designation conferred by the Crown in Commonwealth countries and recognized by the courts.

He won the electoral district of Calgary Nose Creek defeating incumbent Liberal MLA Yolande Gagnon.

He led efforts to create a new provincial park in the Spray Valley to protect this unique and vulnerable area of Alberta's Rocky Mountains.

[9] As Minister of Health and Wellness, he was instrumental in a number of changes to the system with long-lasting results, introducing a series of reforms to Alberta's health care system that focused on patients and delivered improved care at lower costs, including a province-wide electronic health record system, an innovative pilot project to reduce wait times for hip and knee surgeries, and the creation of 500 new training spaces for doctors, nurses and technicians.

[12] On March 16, 2011, after resigning his post in Washington, Mar announced he was seeking the leadership of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party.

"[15] As Minister of Health and Wellness, Mar hired his former executive assistant, Kelley Charlebois, through his consulting firm, to provide advice and support to him and the department.