Mary Elizabeth Dawson CM KC (June 23, 1942 – December 24, 2023) was a Canadian lawyer and civil servant who was the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner of Canada.
Dawson was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and moved to Toronto, Ontario, at age 11.
Dawson had a long career with the Government of Canada and oversaw a wide variety of legal issues from within the Department of Justice.
Dawson also managed the Supreme Court Reference on same-sex marriage for the Government of Canada as well as the preparation of the related legislation.
Dawson was a Skelton-Clark Fellow at Queen's University in the 1999–2000 academic year, where she lectured in several faculties.
[1] Justin Trudeau's vacation visit to Bell Island in December 2016 and concomitant helicopter ride on a private aircraft controlled by the Aga Khan raised an investigation by Dawson, insofar as Canadian government ethics rules prohibit a prime minister or cabinet minister from accepting travel on a private aircraft unless prior Ethics Commission clearance is secured.